


Bare Your Heart (I'll Bare My Soul)

by Pinche_Vida



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam is alive, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hospital, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, One-Sided Allura/Lance (Voltron), One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided James Griffin/Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Post Season 7, Tag As I Go, Unrequited Love, Whoops this accidentally grew a plot, almost everyone is bad at feelings, klangst, season 8 fix-it, so they'll have to work for it, there is a TON of pining tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-06-30 20:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15759000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinche_Vida/pseuds/Pinche_Vida
Summary: “Oh!” Allura's eyes darted wildly between the two, then to Lance, who was desperately trying to sputter a coherent word.Keith broke from the kiss and stared back with wide, panicked eyes. "I- I-" His mind was betraying him in the worst way. It was going completely blank trying to generate an excuse, a thought, asomething. "It's-""I, s-sorry to interrupt!” Lance shouted out. He grabbed Allura's arm, who quickly understood that they were supposed to be anywhere but there and stepped back. They ran away as quickly as they showed up, leaving Keith's face hot with embarrassment and shame.It was one horror to have Lance see him at what was definitely his lowest point since coming back to Earth, but to have both parts of the happy couple see him shack up with his grade school nemesis was a low he wasn't sure was possible till today.--Lance finally hears the words he's wanted to hear since leaving Earth, then he sees something that he wasn't ready for.Keith finally sees how wanted he is by a person that's fallen for him, after hearing something he was dreading.They're equally unhappy about it.





	1. It's not what it looks like; Except it's exactly what it looks like

**Author's Note:**

> Hi~
> 
> Please accept my frantic rambling as I'm still not 100% decided on the final pairings, but it should be a fun ride regardless!

Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice and opened the door.

“Lance, may I have a word?” She looked around the room and smiled sheepishly before adding “In private?”

Lance looked up from his nephew's antics, and a hushed murmur spread through his family. Each member gave him a varied look of slyness and excitement. From the room's window nook, Veronica cleared her throat dramatically.

“Lance, the Princess is requesting your presence,” she chastised under a fox-like smile. “Don't be rude and keep her waiting.”

Lance snapped his head toward his sister and mouthed ' _Stop.’_ His snarl was undermined by the slowly creeping blush dusting his cheeks. She grinned and gave him a thumbs up before pointing behind him. He turned back to the hospital door where Allura was standing - tall and proud in her hospital gown. She smiled apologetically and used her hand to help address the room.

“I'm terribly sorry to take him away from you all, especially since it's been so long, I'll be quick.”

“Take as long as you like, hon.” Marco leered from the corner of the room. “Just make sure you guys are being safe!”

“Yes,” she blinked. Weren’t there patrols on the floor for added security measure specifically for them? “Well, we won't wander far. I'll do my best to keep Lance safe in the meantime!”

“No, Princess,” Lance grumbled out with his face practically the shade of a tomato. “That's not what it- he didn't, ugh. Let's go, let's _go._ ” He climbed out of his bed and grabbed her hand to spin her towards the door, more than a little eager to get away from his teasing family.

Despite their hasty getaway, Lance and Allura took their time to carefully walk down the wing’s hallway. Each step was slow, and careful not to irritate their wounds. Lance offered his good arm as assistance for Allura’s cautious stepping which she gratefully took.

“How's your body reacting to Earth medicine?” He asked as they cleared the end of his room’s corridor.

“Quite well, actually! Coran meticulously studied the chemical composition with the Atlas to ensure our bodies would react well to Earthling medicine.”

“Hmm,” Lance put a finger on his chin. “Maybe we should see if we can run an allergy test on you guys. I've been dying to show you guys the joy of pizza, but if Alteans are deathly allergic to tomatoes, that'd be no bueno.”

She chuckled into her hand. “Given that we _aren't_ deathly allergic, I would love that.” Allura paused and tugged at Lance’s hospital gown before they made the next turn. “I actually wanted to talk about something that's been on my mind for a while. Before the battle, I suppose even before we sacrificed the Castle of Lions. I… the mouse told me what you said. How you feel… about me.”

Lance’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion written on his face as he tried to remember what he told them. Shock and embarrassment quickly replaced his confusion once it clicked.

“P-Princess, I-”

“You've changed, Lance.” The ever-growing red on her cheeks darkened. “You've grown so much as a Paladin, and as a person. There was so much madness with _Lotor,_ and Romelle’s appearance, and coming back to Earth, and all that time allowed me to reflect.” She took a step closer and intertwined her hand with his, fingers linking, and pressed their joined hands to her cheek. “I’m sorry it’s taken so long to say, but I think, I think that I'm honored to find your feelings true and that they can be mutual.”

“Allura,” her name was like a gust of wind taking his breath away. “I wanted to hear you say that since I first laid eyes on you.” 

“I love you Allura. I loved you then and I love you now.” He glanced at the corner of the hallway they were at with the sound of a clumsy nurse bumping into a medicine cart. When he looked back at Allura, he noticed that her eyes never left his face, a soft smile gracing her lips. Words he didn’t think he’d ever need to say out loud till today came tumbling out. “But, I don’t think our love is what you think it is, what I used to think it is.”

It broke his heart to see her smile drop.

“What?” She let go of his hand and placed her own protectively over her heart.

“You’re a _princess_ , Allura. You were meant to lead. We thought the Galra took that away from you, but they’re here! Your people are alive and confused and waiting for you to find them and guide them. And I have my family here! I've missed 5 years of growing up with my siblings and niece and nephew and I can't imagine a life without them. Could you see yourself leaving the Alteans behind for me?”

“No… no, I could never. Crown or no, I need to find them and eventually find a balance between being a Ruler and a Paladin as my father did.”

Lance nodded.

“When I told the space mice how I felt, that wasn't a lie. But looking at you and Lotor, I saw a leader thriving in the company that held a common goal.” He scratched his burning cheek and looked around to help take the edge off of Allura's intense stare. “Even _if_ Lotor ended up being a scumbag, I saw what I couldn't give you.”

“Lance…”

He shrugged. “That was like 2 years ago. The time it took me to grow, I understood that while I wanted to be with you so bad, but sometimes what we want, isn't necessarily what we get. It might not be the way you thought I'd say this, but... I'll always love you Allura.”

“Of course.” She agreed under her breath, she ultimately knew even before starting this conversation that a part of her shared the same sentiments as Lance did, but it still hurt to hear. Her mind agreed that she loved Lance the way he loved her, the way they all loved each other, but it was too hard to return the words. Too soon.

Allura turned her face away and rested her on a closed fist. “I. I shouldn't have presumed that you- that I. Wow. You really have grown _much_ more than I thought.” A sniffle escaped before she could control it. “You must think I'm rather silly.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” he chided as he shifted to rub the tears from her eyes. “You’re talking to a guy that confessed to space mice. You're more fearless than I could've ever been.” Lance inspected her cheeks a little bit more and clicked his tongue. “And _don't_ let the IV drip fool you, hospitals are the _worst_ for your skin. Come on, let's go grab some water, there should be a snack closet around here somewhere.”

It was clear in his actions that he knew what she wanted to say but couldn’t, and for that, she was grateful.

Allura laughed and sniffed again, “Alright then, lead the way.”

\--

Keith grit his teeth as he clumsily used his crutch to maneuver around the hospital. He hated to use the embarrassing instrument but the more he worked on them, the faster his body would realize he doesn't need it. 

The faster he'd be able to get back to his team.

Everyone took a pretty bad hit during the final fight. Hunk had a slight concussion and needed his jaw wired. Allura sliced her thigh against Blue's console and both Romelle and Coran donated almost a pint of blood to help stabilize her during surgery. Pidge’s stomach was pierced in the crash and was set to be bedridden the longest at a whopping three months. Lance was the luckiest and had broken his arm that allowed him to get out the earliest at the six-week mark. Keith himself had a worse concussion and a broken leg. His inherit Galra genes helped speed up recovery, but even a month in, he was still weak and relied heavily on crutches to even attempt getting around.

They still had so much they needed to do.

The fleet that invaded Earth was just a fraction of the Galra still out there fighting for dominance.

They needed to rebuild the Castle of Lion's, to reestablish the Coalition, and think about who would be suited for their candidate as the Galra Emperor/Empress. The loss of Sendak would definitely leave yet another power vacuum and this time, they needed to be there to make sure the universe didn't dip deeper into chaos.

But first, they needed to get out of this damn hospital.

Moments from turning a corner, he broke his train of thought as he recognized a very distinct voice coming from that hall.

_“I love you Allura. I loved you then and I love you now.”_

_Lance._

Keith wobbled dangerously on his crutch and used his free hand to gain composure against a nearby rack. It shook from the sudden movement and items clattered down to the ground. He almost gasped but stifled the sound down out of fear of causing any more attention to himself. Shaky and dizzy from hearing Lance's declaration, Keith stumbled off in the other direction.

It was hard to tell where he heading and Keith had already been stopped by a concerned nurse more than once. Just as he tripped over a stray medical equipment cable, a strong shoulder appeared under his and an arm wrapped securely around his waist to help with the disorientation. Keith turned to the source of support and was surprised to see Cadet Griffin.

“Jesus, Kogane, you look like hell. Where are you trying to run off to in crutches?”

_Great._

This was the worst person (outside of Lance and Allura, _obviously_ ) he imagined running into.

“Nowhere,” he mumbled, standoffish and low. “Just leave me alone.”

A vain attempt to push him away failed, and Griffin had the _audacity_ to laugh at him.

“Stop being difficult, just tell me where your heading.”

A beat of silence and Keith resigned with a sigh.

“Anywhere but here.”

“Anywhere but here, it is then.”

There was no doubt that the difficulty of maneuvering around the halls was decreased tenfold with his help, but Keith _hated_ how gentle Griffin was being on him. _Hated_ how efficient he was walking with Griffin's help. And _hated_ how nice it felt to be supported when he felt so down.

“So,” Griffin drawled out. “I'm guessing McClain took to the Princess's confession pretty well, huh?”

Keith's heart lurched towards his throat. “What the hell are you going on about?” He attempted to lie through his teeth.

All it did is earn a scoffed from Griffin.

“Please, I didn't get to be an MFE pilot by being a moron.” He paused to look at the fork in the hallway and opted to take a left on Keith's behalf. “Our team volunteered to take security shifts for the Paladin's floor. Seemed like the least we could do for you guys saving the world. I was patrolling the West wing when I heard the Princess telling the blonde one she was gonna spill her guts to McClain.” He peeked from the corner of his eye to gauge Keith's reaction to his words. “They have some crazy chemistry, huh?”

Keith crumbled a bit and decided to lash out in the pettiest way he could think of; He let his strong leg go limp and saw Griffin shake, grunt, and adjust to compensate.

“Maybe? Who cares,” he was fastidious in inspecting the ground they walked, “our patrol should be more focused on our safety then gossiping around like some middle schoolers.”

“Kogane, cut the shit. I've seen the way you look at McClain. You can't tell me that doesn't screw you up.”

“Oh?” he looked up at Griffin and sneered. You've seen how I look at him? Do you _always_ watch me? Should I have a talk with Shirogane and discuss whether you have an unprofessional attachment to this patrol?”

Griffin responded with an expression Keith couldn't decipher. The cadet looked around and sharply turned to go inside a side room.

Keith yelped at the sudden movement and found both of them in a refreshments closet. “What the hell-” He began with every intention to chew Griffin out, but the words died in his throat when he saw how close they were standing in the closet.

“Yeah. I’ve _always_ had my eyes on you Kogane.” He almost whispered. 

Keith gulped and couldn't find any words to retort.

“Even before we were in the Garrison; after you beat me in the simulation, I couldn't so anything _but_ look at you. It didn't matter that I had the best marks in class, you're all anyone talked about. When you got kicked out, no one was surprised when loud, obnoxious McClain slithered his way into our class. And when the four of you went AWOL, the rest of us didn't think twice. After all, wherever Keith went, so did Lance.”

Griffin inched forward and leaned closer.

“But it looks like he’s got someone else now. Yet, all you’ve done since coming back is watch McClain and the Princess get nice and cozy, and to be honest? It makes me sick. You’re too good of a pilot- _a soldier_ to pine after some straight boy.”

“Ha!” Keith barked out. “And who do you think you are, hmm? Some knight in shining armor coming to swoop me off my feet?” Keith spoke in a mockingly optimistic tone. “You don’t get to say what’s best for me - _especially_ when you have the gall to attack my teammates.” He jutted his finger into Griffin’s chest and pushed hard enough to gain a bit of his personal space back.

“Maybe you need someone to tell you what’s what, hmm? Maybe you need someone who actually wants to be with you. Who’s not going to run off with a Fairytale Princess and leave you in the dust.” Griffin grabbed the offending digit and pulled it down, bringing its owner down with it. Their lips came crashing down on each other and as much as it killed Keith to say…

It wasn’t a _terrible_ kiss.

It was… okay, decent, even.

And for a moment, one _weak_ moment, he thought, ‘Would this really be so bad?’

As much of an ass Griffin was, he seemed, oddly genuine in his words. Would it be so bad to have someone that's actually interested in Keith? Griffin let go of Keith's hand and cupped both sides of his face.

Then, as quickly as the thought came, it left.

These weren’t the hands he wanted caressing his face. These weren’t the lips he wanted to yearn more for. Despite the pain Lance’s unrequited feelings gave him, he doubled it with comfort and meaning. 

Lance gave him the support and love Keith needed. Even if it wasn't what he wanted.

And, in the end, he didn't care that Lance would never love him. If he could help make Lance happy, then that'd be enough for Keith.

(Not that it made it hurt any less.)

Just as Keith moved to push Griffin off, he heard the doors swipe open and his crutch clatter to the ground. Light poured into the dark closet and a heavy dread sunk deep inside his stomach as his eyes creaked open to find Lance (of _all_ people, why? Why him?) staring at them with his jaw slack. Allura was standing behind him, because _why not_ , with a dainty hand covering her open mouth.

“K-Keith? James?!"

“Oh!” Allura's eyes darted wildly between the two, then to Lance, who was desperately trying to sputter a coherent word.

Keith broke from the kiss and stared back with wide, panicked eyes. "I- I-" His mind was betraying him in the worst way as it went completely blank trying to generate an excuse, a thought, a _something_. "It's-" 

"I, s-sorry to interrupt!” Lance shouted out. He grabbed Allura's arm, who quickly understood that they were supposed to be anywhere but there and stepped back. They ran away as quickly as they showed up, leaving Keith's face hot with embarrassment and shame. 

It was one horror to have Lance see him at what was definitely his lowest point since coming back to Earth, but to have both parts of the happy couple see him shack up with his grade school nemesis was a low he wasn't sure was possible till today. 

Keith pushed off of Griffin and picked up his crutch, not entirely sure what he was going to say to Lance or why he needed to explain himself, but knew that Lance walking around thinking what he just saw was real didn't set well at _all_.

Griffin reached out and grabbed Keith's shoulder. “Give it up, Kogane.” He scoffed. “What kind of masochist are you, waiting around for something impossible? McClain doesn't deserve-”

Keith grit his teeth and clenched his trembling fist. In one swift motion, he spun on the heel of his good foot and swung on the other teen's face. The punch connected to Griffin's cheekbone, and while he _wanted_ to hear his nose crunch, Keith settled for hearing Griffin shout out in surprise and stumble back into the racks.

The rage coursing through his veins had Keith seeing red. His eyes flashed over to Galra slits, and he snarled, “Stay the _hell_ away from me and my team.” 

In the darkness of the room, Keith's eyes adjusted and saw Griffin gasp and shift further into the closet.

The submissiveness of his actions was enough to appease Keith and he felt his eyes flicker back to human mode. The sudden change from human to Galra vision and back again made it a bit more difficult to storm off, but Keith had more important things on his mind. Looking to the left and right, he decided that going in the direction opposite of his ward was probably the realistic move on Lance's part.

As he hobbled down the hall, Keith's desire to run after Lance quickly died with the realization that he'd be running right into a conversation with Lance and Allura, which slightly interferes with the whole ‘help make Lance happy’ bit.

Not as dizzy, but infinitely more conflicted, and partially defeated, Keith turned around and slowly made his way back to the comfort of his empty room. Unlike the others, his usual visitors - Krolia, Shiro, Kolivan, and even Axca were way too busy with organizing Blade Movements and leading the Garrison and Earth efforts to visit him every day.

Which, at this point, felt like a blessing.


	2. Hospital Rounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro finds time to makes his rounds with the team and proves multiple times in one day why Space Dad is Best Dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! Japan was awesome and I can't wait to get this chapter out of my draft doc :D

The universe was vast and held exponential potential. 

Slav had even once said that there were as many universes as there are atoms in existence.

So _why_ did Keith have to live in the one where after hearing the boy he loved return feelings to a beautiful and strong and very much female Alien Princess, was he shoved into a closet and kissed by someone he decked when he was a kid?

Only to have his crush walk in on them?

He supposed it could be worse - he could've been half-whatever Slav is.

Soft knocking on his door broke Keith’s train of thought.

That can’t be right. No one should be visiting today, everyone was caught up in some time of meeting.

He called the person in and raised an eyebrow when they did so.

“Shiro?”

The older, former Paladin greeted him with a hand wave and a grin before closing the door behind him.

“Hey Keith, I had some time before my next meeting, so I wanted to sneak in a round with you guys. I just came from Hunk and Pidge’s ward, they’re super eager to start re-building the Castle. Shay's already agreed to reach out to other Balmeras in nearby quadrants for more crystals. Things look like they’re really starting to come together.” He smiled and sat on the edge of the bed near Keith's feet, careful not to touch the broken leg that was resting on an elevated lift. With no response, there was a tension and discomfort that felt all too familiar to Shiro as he noticed Keith's refusal to meet his gaze. “Is… everything okay?”

Keith sniffed and wrapped himself in his arms, rubbing them slightly to mimic comfort.

“Yeah, I just, um-” He cleared his throat. “A lot happened yesterday.”

Shiro waited for more. “Well?” He pressed when Keith tighten his lips. “I’ve been bored to death by the Garrison Committee bickering on who does what, hearing about anything that goes on here would be great.”

Keith took a deep, uneven breath in, and pushed forward.

“So… It turns out that Allura likes Lance back, and, uh-” another slight cough. Keith found an extremely interesting stain on the ceiling in his room that he decided to focus on rather than see the look he _knew_ Shiro must've been giving him. “Yesterday, she told him.”

Oh.

“ _Oh._ Keith… “ Shiro placed his hand on the free leg Keith had resting on the bed. “I-”

“I know.” Keith interrupted. His voice became increasingly tight and he let a shaky breath out. “I know you told me so. I know you warned me about someone like him.” He carefully avoided using ‘straight’ out of fear of mentioning Griffin. Shiro was definitely going to stop by everybody else’s room and Keith needed breath to explain that ugly can of worms before someone else told him. “I know that I should’ve used my time with the Blade to get over him. And I _tried_ , man did I try. But one look at him when I came back and I was gone- like I was 18 all over again. I just, I can’t let go of him. I don't _want to._ He makes me feel human, Shiro.” He let out a bitter laugh. “But I heard him. I heard Lance say, ‘I’ve always loved you’ to Allura.”

“Keith,” Shiro squeezed his hand lightly over his leg. “I wasn’t going to say I told you so. I was going to say, I’m sorry. That… that couldn't have been easy to hear.”

“There were just so many… moments. When you were gone, before I left the Blade, even when I came back - Like, like in that game show! He picked me, Shiro. He could’ve decided to save Allura, he had _every_ reason to! Allura’s a _princess_ , she’s a leader, she’s the hope for the lost Alteans out there. But he called _me_ his future!”

“ _The_ future.” Shiro softly corrected.

“You, you weren’t even there! You didn’t hear _how_ he said it.”

“But Keith,” He began carefully. “If they’re going to be together, you have got to accept that the signs you read, just… weren’t there.”

The injured Paladin stared at his brother, a flare of embarrassment coiling wickedly in his stomach. He buried his face in his hands. “I’m such a moron.”

Shiro sighed. “You’re not a moron. You’re in love. And that’s such a brave thing to do in the middle of war.”

Hearing Shiro call him brave was the last crack in the crumbling wall he desperately tried to hold together. Unshed tears finally spilled over, and Keith wailed into his hands.

Older, but just as familiar with love lost, Shiro sighed, his heart aching for Keith. He sat up and wrapped his arms around him.

After a few moments, after Keith’s cries relaxed into sniffles, he mumbled into Shiro’s shirt.

“Hmm? What’s that?” He asked.

“I said, there’s… something else.” Keith pulled his face off of Shiro’s chest and wiped the tears off his face. “After I ran off, I bumped into Griffin - the MFE pilot that volunteered to patrol.”

“Mhmm, _and_ the kid you decked when you were in the Garrison?” Shiro politely reminded. “Please don’t tell me you punched James again. He's been a huge part of Earth's defenses before we got here, and he looks like he's really shaped up as a person.”

Shiro's praise of Griffin did little to help him deliver the news. Keith weakly chuckled. “Um, well, he found me stumbling around the halls and helped me walk back to my room.”

Shiro visibly brightened, “Wow, that's really great to-”

“And,” Keith rushed to finish his story before Shiro could dig a deeper grave. “I, we, kind of… kissed? In a closet?”

“ _What._ ”

Deciding to rip the bandage off, he continued before Shiro could formulate a proper thought. “And Lance and Allura walked in on us?”

“ _Oh my god.”_ Shiro turned and rubbed his temples to desperately relieve his budding migraine.

“And _then_ I punched him.” He squeaked the last bit out and withered away slightly.

 _ **“...Dammit, Keith**_.”

Nevermind, the migraine had brought real estate smack-dab in the middle of his brain.

He gathered as much Grown-Up voice as he could muster and ordered, “You’re apologizing to James the next time you see him, _or so help me._ ”

“Y-yes, sir!”

\--

Shiro was thankful his hair had turned gray in space because these kids stressed. Him. Out.

He walked into Allura's room fully prepared to congratulate her and Lance's new relationship, but the second he mentioned the Cuban’s name, her face scrunched up like a sour lemon and she groaned.

“Goodness, was he really so quick to tell you that? I thought I’d have more than a moment to stew in self-loathing.”

Shiro’s shock was too great to hide and he gaped at Allura. “Uh, come again?”

The Princess squinted her eyes as she scrutinized his expression. She rubbed her fingers with her thumb and muttered, “who, _exactly,_ told you about us?”

He opened his mouth and with a large amount of uncertainty, replied, “Keith.”

Shiro felt himself spin further into confusion when she barked out a sharp laugh and quirked a polished eyebrow up. 

“He heard us? Well, I certainly feel better about stumbling in on him then.”

“Princess, I’m… very confused.”

Allura hummed.

“I have a feeling Keith didn’t hear the entirety of our chat.” She clicked her tongue. “Well, in a moment of chaos, I told Lance that I knew he had feelings for me and that I was interested in reciprocating. Except. That was not the case.”

Shiro’s gears, while turning, were not clinging on to the message.

“He said no.” Allura said bluntly.

“He. Rejected. _You_?”

“Yes, yes. The mighty Princess of Altea was turned down. He was extremely compassionate about it. Which is a shame. I would’ve liked at least a choice in hating him for a few days.” She sighed. “My first crush after a 10,000 deca-phoeb cryogenic slumber turned out to be a megalomaniac with a genocide complex, and the next one I have is for someone whose lifespan is a sixtyth of mine and only sees me as a sister. Even in the midst of an intergalactic war, one is never shielded from youthful angst.”

“Oh. Well, I’m, uh sorry-”

She tutted and waved her hand dismissively.

“No. None of that. Romelle has bemoaned on my behalf enough for the entire ward.” A longer, more dramatic sigh rolled off her tongue. “It stings, but I’m young. I’ve at least a few hundred deca-phoebs left in me, should we survive all this.”

While she sounded more embarrassed than heartbroken, their relatively light conversation left him flabbergasted.

What on Earth did Keith hear to confuse ‘them getting together’ with ‘Lance unequivocally rejection Allura’?

And why in the universe did Lance, someone who had flirted with Allura since day one, turn her down?

He parted ways with her and knocked on Lance's door. Once he heard the 'Come in!’, he entered, expecting to see a bustling room full of chaotic energy.

But it was only Lance, sitting in his bed, idly playing with his hands.

“Hey Kiddo, where's your family?”

“O-oh, hey Shiro. I didn't think you'd be doing rounds again so soon.” He smiled, but it didn't really reach his eyes. “I texted the nurse to kick them out. I've missed them so much, that I thought there was no way I'd ever get sick of them again, but here we are. Ha, that's family for you.” Lance chuckled and focused a bit more on Shiro, watching closely as he walked across the room and sat on his bed.

“I heard you had a pretty wild day yesterday.”

Lance choked on his spit.

“Guh-ack! I... From who?” He asked with eyes glued back down to the ground.

“Both of them.”

“Keith, too?” A mixture of awe and disbelief was present in his voice. “I didn't, I didn't mean to disturb them. I didn't even know that they, that _Keith_ liked- um, guys.” The last word was said barely above a whisper.

Shiro hummed. 

“Does that change how you see him?”

“W-what? No! No way! I'm not like that! I mean- I'm not a bigot!” Lance shrunk into his blankets. “I just, ugh...” 

“You seem pretty beat up about this. More than what happened between you and Allura” Shiro frowned.

Lance's eyes widened and he looked up at the man he once called his hero.

“I. It's like I told her, I love her. I've loved her from the moment I saw her. It just… took a really long time to realize that my feelings were unrequited and more suited to loving her like a teammate or a sister than a girlfriend. Once I started to consciously do that I felt so much happier. I felt like I was really listening to my heart instead of what I thought I should be.”

Suddenly, Keith's misunderstanding of the situation made much more sense to Shiro.

“That's a really mature way of thinking about it, Lance.”

“That's what Allura said. But, I'm so confused. I…” he took a deep breath, “I don't know if it's okay to talk about. Or like, where your head is in all of this. But, how… did you know? ...With, um, Adam?”

The grief that flashed across Shiro's face was almost instantaneous.

“I'm sorry!” Lance's hands flew up, wildly covering his face “I know, it was a shitty thing to bring up! You don't have to-”

“I didn't.” Shiro's voice was raspy and low, thick with an emotion Lance didn't want to understand. “Not at first, anyway. But,” he cleared his throat. “But we were in the same class. And it was fun to be around him. I was a pretty spoiled kid growing up. Marks and flying came easy to me, and because of that, I was cocky. I got in a lot of fights, but any school I went to didn't want to lose me, so they went overlooked. When I entered the Garrison, I met Adam and,” Shiro sighed wistfully, not really looking at Lance so much as he was the past.

“He was so spirited. He wasn't afraid to call me out when I was out of line. But it wasn't like the other kids who were jealous of my standing, or the kids that fawning over my skill. He hated how reckless I was, and from that, we always bickered, but we never pushed it to a physical fight - not that he'd win. 

He'd try to tell me time and time again that 'Patience yields focus.’ He thought my ego was a balloon waiting to be popped, and he was right. I kept blindly throwing myself into danger. I got into an accident during one of our training exercises because of it. It was bad. Really bad. Adam was the first one to get to me. He gave me first aid and didn't leave my side till I woke up in the hospital.” 

A small smile was on his face. 

“When I came to and saw him asleep on the chair beside me, I knew. I knew that for some reason he thought I was worth fighting for, so I decided to be the person he thought I could be.”

“Wow.” Lance stared at Shiro with utter admiration.

The veteran pilot’s years began to show when his eyes darkened. He looked down at the hovering prosthetic that was his arm. “He was my right hand in every possible way. I was able to get through so much with his love and support, but before the Kerberos Mission I- we both said such _finite_ _things_. I wanted to take all of it back, even if he moved on, but now?” Shiro clenched his fist. “All the things I wanted to say, I can only say it to a plaque, and every time I think about how he- how his plane- I'd rather live the rest of my life in the Gladiator pits if it meant the Galra never came to Earth.”

“I'm so sorry, Shiro…” Lance bit his lip and reached out to place a hand over his closed, metal fist.

Shiro broke his trance from the past and looked at the hand. Slowly, his eyes followed it's path to Lance's worried face and matched his stare.

He was rubbing the moisture from his eyes when pieces started to click into place. Kicking his family out, rejecting Allura, asking about Adam.

“I think I get it. Maybe more than most people could. Are you trying to figure out if your feelings for a…” He fumbled over the word he really meant to say. “Another person are real or valid?”

“You can say it,” Lance mumbled, his blanket slowly becoming a ball under his hands. “A guy.” He spoke the word into existence, a heavy weight settling deep within his core. “I think I like a guy, and I don't know what to say, or think, or do. I’m trying to listen to what's right, but my head and heart are saying two different things and I feel like I'm going crazy.” A choked noise escaped his throat.

“Lance… it probably sounds obvious coming from me, but there's _nothing_ wrong with liking guys. You can't help who you like, and you shouldn't be ashamed of it.” A pause lingered, followed by an intake of breath. “Have you told your family yet?”

The Blue Paladin shook his head furiously, “Are you kidding? When I came back yesterday, they were going _crazy_ trying to figure out why I said no to Allura. Finally, Marco, _the snake_ , said 'There has to be someone else, there's no other reason why Lancito could say no to a real-life Princess~’. I gave in and told them there _was_ someone else and they just went on and _on_ about how the lucky girl could've possibly been to be better than a Princess, and I…” Lance sighed, “I can't even imagine about what they'd say if I told them it was a he, not a she.”

Shiro stared at his teammate, his friend and thought back to the time they spent in space. How homesick Lance was, and how often he'd stare at the holoprojection of the Milky Way, and how excited he got talking about his family. Family meant everything to Lance, yet here he was - paralyzed in fear of being rejected by them.

“I don't know much about your family other than what you've said. But if that's anything to go off of, Lance, your family won't think twice about loving you as much as they do now.”

Lance smiled shakily and nodded. “That’s what makes sense right? But I’ve seen friends so confident, so sure of themselves, get disowned, become homeless, sent away to distant relatives.” He hunched over his shoulders and grasped at his hair. “I'm just so _scared_. I don’t, I don't think I can tell them, at least, not now.”

“And that's fair. Coming out is a terrifying thing to do, no matter how long you’ve known the person.” Shiro nodded back. He shifted over to Lance's side and carefully wrapped his human arm around him. “But I’m really happy you chose to tell me, Lance. At the very least, know that _this_ family loves you no matter what. We're all here for you if you ever need anything.” He brought the younger Paladin close to his chest and only tightened the hold when Lance gave in and sobbed into his hug.

These two reminded Shiro of himself and Adam to an almost eerie extent.

He just hoped they were able to talk it out and get the happy ending that now only came to him in his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .... fuCK IT SHIRO'S DESERVES BETTER AND HE'S GETTING IT EVEN IF IT TAKES ME ANOTHER 20K+


	3. Being Honest is Harder than it Looks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, from NYCC, completely thrown off by season eight's trailer, and somehow super rejuvenated by the hope of KICK??
> 
> Anyway, by the time I finished this (and the next chapter) I came out of the panel thinking 'Shit, now I NEED to add an actual plot to this' lol
> 
> Enjoy whatever we've had up until this point before we crack into unexpected story development!

Two weeks later, Lance is almost done chewing his thumbnail off. 

He got the final okay from his doctor to leave and Veronica and Marco were the only ones staying behind while the rest of the McClain crew rushed to prepare Veronica's place and cook a feast. In a weird act of sibling love, they decided to not ask any questions when he said he had to do something before leaving.

Well, Marco sung out 'More like some _one_ ’, but that was pretty light for Marco's standards.

He said bye to Pidge, who asked if he could plug a USB into a Garrison device (any one will do, a monitor, tower, workstation) which was met with a simple 'get your blood brother to be an accomplice.’ 

Then to Hunk, on the cusp of being unwired, who begged for a leftover plate of his parrillada. His nurse was quick to shut the idea down, firmly reminding him that he needed to stick to soft foods for at least another month and _slowly_ introduce harder foods. 

Allura had wagged her finger at him when he said bye, adding that her exit was just around the corner and she looked forward to trying their pizza out. Coran had used that to delve into the time he got food poisoning during a diplomatic mission at Yagalta, where Lance responded by slowly slinking away.

Which left the reason why he was nearly chewing his finger off.

Keith.

The first week after his talk with Shiro, Lance tried to belly the courage that escaped him every time he wanted to go to Keith's room, but in the end, he kept telling himself tomorrow would be the day. 

The second week, he found the minimal amount of bravery needed, but at that point trying to get a hold of Keith was like trying to find Bigfoot.

Keith always seemed to be busy with physical therapy or with his mom and Kolivan stopping by. He had asked Keith's nurse to let him know if Keith had free time, but he never reached back out, just civilly nodded and walked off.

The closest he had reached was at Keith's door, three days prior to his release. Acxa had just come out of his room and when he asked if Keith was good for another visitor, she just looked at him, like she was judging his worth or something. She glanced down the hall and snapped her eyes back to Lance, letting him know that Keith was already fast asleep from physical therapy and shouldn't be disrupted.

She mentioned something about Veronica (what was she doing hanging out with his sister???) and left with a nod.

Something about that girl really bugged Lance, but he respected the need for Keith to get better and decided to let it be.

Lance was pretty bothered but held his resolve until the last day. In saying bye to the rest of the group, almost everyone had mentioned Keith in passing. Even Allura had said something about Keith pushing too hard in Physical Therapy and how if he didn't listen to her warnings to take it easy, he'd end up in the hospital longer than Pidge. 

So, apparently, Keith had plenty of time for _everyone_ else, but none for Lance.

Which hurt, a lot.

He didn't think the closet thing was the reason for Keith brushing him off, because if it was, why would he still be talking to the Princess? But Lance couldn't think of anything else that would've angered the soon to be reinstated pilot to the Black Lion enough to start ignoring him.

The only way to know for sure was to ask Keith himself, Lance supposed.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the nearby door swish open and didn't see a body walk through it until he bumped into the owner's chest.

“My ba- oh… James.” 

He looked up and saw the remnants of a smile fade with an unimpressed eyebrow raise followed by a smug smirk from the (technically, older) pilot.

“Don't look too excited to see me, McClain.”

Lance looked at the door he came out of and back to James.

“What are you doing visiting Keith?” He denounced more than asked.

There was a glint in the MFE’s eyes, and his lip curled up just a bit. “Things may have changed since you were last here, but last time I checked, it wasn't a crime to visit the guy I like.”

“That's not- I didn't-”

“Didn't what? Mean to avoid your friend for two weeks after you saw him kissing a guy? I gotta say, I always knew you were a snake, but I didn't think I'd have to add homophobe to the list of your _dazzling_ personality traits.”

“Don’t call me that!” Lance hissed out, “I’ve spent the last week trying to talk to Keith!”

James huffed. “And the week before that?”

Wait, was _that_ why Keith was upset with him?

Well… that was different. 

Lance straightened his posture and stared the other man down. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

“No,” he breathed out. “You don’t. And I don’t really care about your half-assed excuses in the first place. But, you better watch what you say to Keith. If I end up hearing about any shit you pull, we’re gonna have problems, _McClain_.” James jutted an accusing finger at Lance who stared at it in annoyance before swiping it away.

“I’m getting the feeling that we already have problems.”

A scoff.

“You’re not wrong.” James pushed through Lance and took a few steps before adding his last words. “I don’t know what he sees in you, but he thinks you're a friend, how about you start acting like one?”

Lance winced. The allegation James threw on him was rough, but not entirely wrong. Knowing that jerk was right about how he had been acting made Lance feel icky all over, but gave him the final push to move forward. He took a deep breath and walked through the doors.

Keith was sitting on his bed with Kosmo nestled in the free space by his feet. He was smiling while petting the intergalactic wolf and rolled his eyes with amusement dancing on his lips upon hearing the sliding doors.

“What do you want now Griffin-” Purple eyes met blue and the smile on Keith’s face quickly fell into shock. “Lance?”

He shrugged off the glow of displeasure that came with seeing Keith smile at James. It intensified when Keith shifted to a more neutral expression upon seeing Lance.

_Relax. That's normal. You're overthinking it._

“Hey, Keith.”

“Hey.” He echoed back.

“I'm, uh, getting out today.” He smiled nervously in spite of the blank face he got from Keith.

“That’s... awesome.” Keith half-heartedly offered. “You must be itching to get out of here.” 

Keith thought back to Allura, whose discharge was coming any day now. Keith had found out from her that, in a wild turn of event, Lance had turned her down and she speculated it was due Lance liking someone else. 

Every inch of his being wanted to know who was it. Who could have Lance possibly found more captivating then Allura?

But, if Lance wanted him to know, he'd say something.

Keith needed to be patient.

There was no rush to feel jealous over the unsuspecting woman, after all.

Lance broken him out of his mind by sighing. “Um, I guess? I just wanted to say bye, and say sorry… for ghosting you, and, uh, walking in on you and James.”

Keith’s jaw fell slack.

“I know, I know,” Lance stuck a hand out to stop his friend from jumping the gun. “It was hella uncool, and I know that’s not how you wanted any of us to find out. But I just wanna let you know that I’m cool with it. I’m cool with…”

Images started to flash through his mind, a memory lingering all too fresh. 

Idly chatting with Allura, hearing a moan just outside of the supply closet, and not realizing what it meant till after the doors opened. 

Seeing their tangled limbs, hands caressing Keith’s face. The betrayed gasp from him as they broke apart. 

The flush of his cheeks. 

The redness in his swollen lips.

_I don’t want to think about that._

“You guys. D-doing your thing. Totally cool.”

Keith looked at him like he was falling apart, which was definitely the opposite of what Lance was trying to achieve. He moved to get out of his bed without breaking eye contact with the Blue Paladin.

“L-Lance,” he began, “It’s not what you think. Griffin and I aren’t a thing.”

_I don’t want to hear about how James makes you feel._

Lance bit his lower lip and felt the walls start to close in. “Oh, yeah. No, I totally get it. If you haven’t told us, there’s no way you guys would wanna be public, right? Don’t worry, your secret's safe with me!”

“No, Lance. That’s not what I mean.”

_I don’t wanna know the truth._

Lance's eyes started to burn, and the tightness in his throat only grew with each passing moment.

_I can’t do this. I thought I could, but I can’t._

“I’ll catch you at the Garrison when you’re up for it. Hasta later, Keith!”

Keith watched, dumbfounded as Lance spun around and ran out of his room.

Well, _that_ didn't go how he expected.

\--

Within the week of Pidge's release, and two weeks after Lance's weird goodbye, Keith found himself walking down a Garrison hall and chatting with the young teen.

“So once Coran is finished training Romelle, we can run through our final test run of the new ship! It’s gonna be w- oh!” Pidge pointed at the corridor that lead to the north wing of the cadet area. “Can we head over to the training sector? I think Lance and Hunk said they were gonna stop by there.”

“Umm, sure. I can't think of any reason not to. At all.”

Pidge raised a suspicious brow and shrugged before continuing down the hall.

They arrived at the training room sooner than Keith was prepared for. When the doors swished open, they saw several cadets and pilots broken off into groups of two or three focusing on different battle techniques.

Hunk was teaching a group of cadets how to handle a Gatling Gun's weight distribution. His bubbly laughter echoed in the open space when one of the kids pulled on the weapon he put down the wrong way and tumbled down to the floor.

On the other side of the stadium-sized room were groups spaced much further apart testing long ranged weapons. Amongst the groups stood out an energetic brown-haired, blue-eyed young man. 

Lance was twitching to the movements of another pilot working a pack of rotating orbs. One of the orbs lined up behind the pilot and shot a small, dart-like beam and landed it square on their shoulder. The pilot visibly winced, but didn't cry out in shock or pain.

Which was fine, because Lance had taken it upon himself to do so. He called out the pilot's name and jogged over to where he stood.

Keith watched the transaction with great intensity.

“Since when did Lance and Kinkade start hanging out?” He asked Pidge who just seemed to notice the pair.

“Oh? Um, for a while, I guess.” They pressed a finger to their chin. “Now that you mention it, I think almost every time I've seen or talked Lance, he was hanging out with him. Which makes sense, they have a lot in common.” They said the last bit while glancing over to Keith with a smirk.

 

They turned back to the shooting simulation the two sharpshooters are working on. Lance placed a hand on Kinkade’s back to help shift his stance. The corner of Kinkade’s mouth lifted up slightly, which Keith didn't even know was physically possible. The MFE pilot said something to Lance that was way too low for anyone else to hear.

Anyone that didn't have enhanced Galra hearing.

_“You know, Lance, you can move your hand lower. That is, if you think it'd help.”_

Lance whipped his hand off of Kinkade. It wasn't long before his face became a scorching red. 

“Woah!” He screeched out, gaining the rest of the room’s attention. All eyes stared at the Blue Paladin tumbling over syllables. His voice tapered to an incoherent mumble and slowly, with his head looking in the opposite direction, placed his hand on Kinkade’s hips and softly pivoted them to a better position.

“Holy shit.” Pidge breathed out. “Holy _shit_. Wait. Are they-? Is he-?”

Keith stormed out before he could hear the rest of their hypothesis.

As he stomped down the hall, he grit his teeth and clenched his fists. 

This entire time he felt bad about the Griffin thing and was worried sick over explaining it to Lance.

Like that mattered.

Lance probably didn’t even notice. Or _care_.

All this anger, and dejection, it feels like the hospital all over again.

Only this time, it's worse. Because it turns out Lance is not so straight after all, and Keith _still_ didn't stand a chance.

\--

After practice, Lance felt all of the stares and wrung his hands together nervously. Kinkade observed the motion and scanned the room. Sure enough, a mix of Garrison and Paladin eyes were watching their every move. 

He asked Lance if he'd like to leave, and when he received a vigorous nod, they made their way towards the shower room.

“I'm sorry,” Kinkade starts off, “I put you in an uncomfortable situation.”

“No, no, don't apologize.” Lance rushed out. “It's not- um, I've just… never being flirted with so, uh directly. With anyone! Especially, um, a m-man.” 

Ryan'd be lying if he said he didn’t taut his muscles when he heard Lance call him a ‘man’.

He inspected the shy, fidgety stance the Blue Paladin gave. Outside of the obvious nervousness it displayed, there was an air of insecurity and lack of self-confidence he extruded. Which, given that he was the literal Defender of the Universe, was bewildering to say the least.

And pretty sad.

The MFE pilot softened his features and reached out to grab Lance's hand. Lance squeaked and tensed up a bit. His heart thrummed furiously in his chest and he took a deep breath in a vain attempt to cool the heat on his cheeks.

“Well, you've been given a disservice.” Kinkade furrowed his eyebrows and smiled, something he’s noticed he does a lot of when Lance is around. “There's something about you, Lance. Something that makes me want to protect you.”

He bit his lip and took a cautious step back. “I… I don't need protecting.”

Kinkade laughed, soft and low. “That's fair, then how about some company?”

“Company?” Lance repeated.

“Yeah, but first, let's shower and grab a bite.” When Lance wheezed in return, Ryan shook his head and added, “Separately, obviously.”

“R-Right. Obviously.”

\--

Keith doesn't show his face till morning of the next day. He went to the mess hall, intending to grab a meal and sneak out before anyone could notice him.

“Keith! Hey, Keith, over here!”

So much for that.

He forced the corner of his lips up and nodded to Hunk, who was wildly waving him down. The room is large enough for Hunk’s voice to just make it past the rowdiness of cadets, pilots, and staff’s noise. 

Unfortunately, it's small enough that Keith's eyes lock to Lance and Kinkade’s table which is far from the rest of the group and nestled in the corner of the room to allow a semblance of privacy. As he sits, his focus is still completely on the two young men that seem to be wrapped in their own world of laughter and mesmerizing storytelling.

A new pain ached in Keith's chest.

He wondered of all the stories that Lance had told him about Cuba and his family, how many has he shared with Kinkade.

“Crazy, huh?” Hunk said with a droopy smile. Keith turned and saw the Yellow Paladin watching the two with a twinkle in his eye. “It’s been way too long since I've seen him smile like that. We wanted to give them some alone time, so we sat over here.” He sighed dreamily and glanced back to Keith. “Woah, dude, you okay?”

Keith grit his teeth, placed his dish roughly on the table and stabbed a meat link with an audible _clink_.

“Peachy.” He chomped on his food. “Why do you ask?”

“Cause, uh, I think you just cracked your plate.”

Looking down, sure enough, there's a jagged line running across his plate. He sighed and pushed it away.

“I'm _fine_ , there's just, been a lot on my mind lately.”

Hunk furrowed his brows in worry, then waggled them with a smirk.

“Would any of those things be your super big crush on a certain brunette?”

Keith really wished that Hunk would've waited till after he was done drinking, but kind of enjoyed spitting the water in his mouth in Hunk's face. He coughed on the last bit of water and gasped for air.

“Aw, dude! Backwash!” Hunk sputtered and smacked the liquid off his face.

“Who,” Keith cleared his throat, “who are you talking about?” The burning blush on his face was spreading down to his neck and ears.

Hunk raised his hand to dramatically wipe the last drops of water off his forehead. “Uh, unless you've smooched up more people in a supply closet that I'm unaware of, the only person it could be - good ol’ Jamesy. Although I gotta say, I didn't take you for a supply closet kinda guy. You seemed more like a ‘dramatic declaration on the battlefield’ sort of dude.”

Keith shrunk in his seat. “Who told you?”

Hunk's eyes immediately darted to his left, where Pidge was too innocently playing with their food.

“Uh, a little bird. I can't, um, reveal my sources.”

Pidge groaned and rolled their eyes, “You're legitimately the _worst_ at this Hunk.” They fixed their glasses and peered at Keith through their lens like a scientist observing a specimen through a microscope. “But c'mon Keith, did you think that anything could happen in that building without me finding out?”

Keith did his best to glower, but it ended up coming across as a pout.

“It’s- it's not like that with us. I don't… I don't like him like that.”

Hunk and Pidge glanced at each other, clearly surprised.

“Okay…” Hunk trailed off, unsure how to start his thought out. “So, like, zero judgment, but um, I _really_ didn't think that you were the 'random hookup’ kind.” He squinted his eyes and pursed his lips. “Again, zero judgment.”

Keith looked around to see if anyone was paying attention, but it looked like a room filled with people talking about their day was the best place to have your secrets drowned out.

“I'm not! It was a, ugh, a moment of weakness, that's it!” He chewed his lip and took a deep breath in. “I, like… someone else.”

Hunk gasped almost instantly and Keith _knew_ he knew.

“ _No_.” He whispered, scandalized by the thought.

Keith gripped his fork, and looked away before slowly nodding.

Pidge looked at them, suspiciously narrowed their eyes, then followed suit with a similar gasp.

“Oh _quiznak_.”

“Guys, please,” he moved to cup his mouth with both hands. “Don't say a word. To _anyone._ ”

Hunk shook his head. “Bu-but, dude! Dude, this changes _everything_! 

“How? All it does is show how pathetic I am.”

“But, he-! You! Aww, Keith, I'm begging you, talk to him!”

Keith slammed his fork on the table.

“Hunk, you said it yourself - you can’t remember the last time you saw him this happy. What kind of person would I be if I stepped in between that? What kind of things would happen if I coerce him into dating me, only to find out that he was happier with Kin- someone else? What would that do to Voltron?”

The unsaid words lingered in the air.

_What would that do to me?_

Hunk looked taken aback, he shifted in his seat and asked, “If you really love him, isn’t it worth the risk?”

“If I really love him, I wouldn't stop him from trying to be happy. Even if it's not with me.”

“Bashs fofun thupin,” Pidge said with a mouthful of cereal. 

“Ugh,” Hunk handed them a napkin. “Pidge, _swallow_.”

They ignored the napkin and opted to wipe the milk dripping from their chin with the end of their sleeve.

“I _said_ , that's fuckin stupid.” Pidge pushed their cereal to the side and pointed their spoon like a scope at Keith. “You can lie to yourself, and try to lie to me, but don't you try to lie to our resident sunshine over here.

You're not being selfless, or a martyr, Keith.

You're being a coward.”

He flinched, the words stinging true.

“Why don't you ask Hunk when's the last time he can remember Lance being that happy? Go ahead, ask him.”

Keith looked at Hunk who was staring at his thumbs. He glanced up at the Red Paladin, then back down and sighed.

“Three years ago. Before you left to the blade.”

Pidge hardly waited for Keith's jaw drop before continuing their onslaught.

“You keep thinking that you're the only one going through things. Because you don't want our help. I'm down for whatever you wanna do, but I'm not gonna let you ruin my breakfast with your bull. Own up to your shit and quit trying to project your lies onto other people.”

They seemed satisfied with their speech, because they nodded to their own words and put their focus back on the half-empty bowl.

Keith stared down at the mushed breakfast in front of him, vaguely aware of Hunk patting his arm sympathetically. 

“No matter what, at the end of the day, you guys are friends. You care about each other. Try to talk, at least before the next mission we’re bound to have, okay?”

Keith met Hunk’s soft, worried eyes, and nodded.

“Okay.”


	4. When It Rains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy what's probably going to be the longest chapter c;

The mundane motion of performing an inventory check was a routine act of stress relief Ryan often found himself flocking to in times of turmoil.

So, it's unsurprising that he's in the cargo bay checking on their stock when an all too familiar voice breaks the silence.

“Kinkade.”

He sighed.

Everything looked accounted for. Which, was also unsurprising given it's only been a few days since his last sweep.

Ryan checks off the last box on his list and greets his lead.

“... Griffin.”

James studied his teammate's neutral expression and firm posture.

He looked completely composed. 

Well, _almost_.

See, to the outside world, Ryan's practically robotic.

But James knows better.

He can tell by the light flush on Kinkade's cheeks and the crinkle at the corners of his eyes.

_Apprehensive. Worried. Cautious._

He's always known how to read his strategist.

Which means he’s always known how to get a reaction of out his strategist.

“How’s your blue-eyed boy-toy?”

Kinkade's shoulders tighten, and his eyes lower to tiny slivers.

_Angry. Indignant. Defensive._

“I could say the same for you.”

Griffin's lips thinned to a fine line, but he continued, a bit more acerbic than before. “You know, I've never seen you so _chatty_ before. That one really knows how to turn people inside out, huh?”

“I could say the same for you.” Ryan repeated, seeming bored by their interaction. He cracks the kink in his neck out with a sharp twist to the side.

_Agitated. Annoyed._

James was reminded of soft black hair, and piercing eyes, and decided he didn't like that implication one bit.

“What's that supposed to-”

_“Ryan, you there?”_

Lance’s voice cut through their words. He opened the doors into the room they were in and was surprised to see another person outside of Ryan or Davidsdottir there.

“Hey, McClain~” Griffin drawled out with an overly cheery smile. He even threw in a wave for good measure.

Lance hesitated and glanced at Ryan for guidance, who nodded in acknowledgment.

‘Begging for someone else to help, how typical,’ James thought, the fake smile dropping to a scowl.

“ _Ahem_ , uh, Allura's called an All Hands for the coalition this Monday.”

“And you came all the way of here to say that?” James asked with no intention of hiding his annoyance. “Couldn't you have waited for the Princess make the announcement? Or for a notice to be published?” He continued to stare at the door behind McClain.

Maybe if he stared long enough, he would get the hint.

“Don't mind him.” Kinkade's scoffed. He rolled his eyes, took Lance by the hand and walked towards the door. He threw a glance in Griffin's direction. “You're not the only one that knows how to get a reaction.”

Cheap words as the moment his body turned away, his shoulders slumped over and he let out a sigh.

_Disappointed._

James’ scowl deepened as he stared at their fleeting backs. He grit his teeth when Lance flashed a look reserved for a mother scolding her child his way. The Blue Paladin refused to spend much time on him though, using most of it to drape a comforting hand on Kinkade and whispered a question that James couldn't quite pick up before the doors closed - leaving him with nothing but the sterile air for solace.

He's particularly lonely that night.

\--

The next time they're all together, it's during the All Hands meeting.

Several groups made their way into Garrison's largest conference room, used for summits and other national gatherings. Nyma, Rolo, Matt and his partner, Bix, act as representatives of the Rebels. Krolia and Kolivan, along with four Blades represent the Blade of Marmora. Sam and Shiro step in as official leads for Earth/the Garrison, and various other officials and diplomats scattered around.

Voltron (save for Allura, who was running the meeting) and MFE team stood beside each other, acting as both a physical and metaphorical guard for the coalition towards the back.

The arrangement was only slightly different from the other meetings they attended in terms of how they were positioned.

Honestly, it wasn’t important in the grand scheme of things, but Keith and Lance couldn't help but keenly aware of Ryan and James standing in between them. They were not so subtly acting as buffers for whatever behavior they thought the Paladins would exhibit. 

A bit insulting, but not an entirely inaccurate assessment. Lately, their interaction consisted of a mixed bag of lashing out and skittering around one another.

And, at the end of the day, The Garrison’s reputation was _extremely_ important to the MFEs. It was too big of a risk to chance the Red and Blue Paladins embarrassing their planet during an intergalactic meeting.

Ryan and James shot a stiff glance at each other, words unsaid but clearly traded caused both parties to frown. As the murmurs of the room quieted, they were quick to roll their shoulders back and put their attention to the center of the room.

The lights dimmed and any light conversations died down completely once Allura stepped forward to address the group and cleared her throat.

“We have much to discuss today, and for our first talking point, I have great news!” She signaled Coran and he rushed to the door to extend a hand out. 

Slowly, a hand from outside was placed over his and to the surprise of almost everyone in the room, in walked the pink haired Altean from Mecha in Voltron's final battle after Sendak.

The person who single-handedly put all of Voltron in the hospital.

She scanned the room and shyly shuffled behind Coran until she stood next to Allura. Her stature was skittery and hunched over, but even so, it looked as if she was just as tall and slightly more toned the Allura.

The Altean princess placed a soft hand on the shy young woman beside her and provided a hushed, “It's alright, I'm right here.”

“For those that don’t know… This,” Allura announced, “Is Artemil. She's finally been given an all clear from the Blade-Garrison joint security team. While she is, for the most part, still non-verbal, I do hope you'll provide as much hospitality to her as you have with the rest of us. Acxa has offered to act as her escort until Artemil is able to maneuver around the grounds.”

The rest of the room turned uneasy with whispers dancing around the groups. They dissolved into a polite applause and if it bothered Allura, she did a very good job of not letting it show. In Lance's applause, he took note of the unease from his team, the apathy from some diplomats and noticed that to the left of the stage Krolia was tucked in the shadows of the room. She had flared her nostrils and crossed arms. Her mouth was twisted in distaste.

Almost as if she smelled something sour.

She shifted as she felt the hold of his gaze and lifted her head to match his stare with a harsh glare until Lance bowed out of… whatever measuring competition that was.

Since they met, Krolia never seemed to like him. Through irritable comments and displeased glowers, Lance found it impossible to get her to ease up to him. It would've been a miracle if the discovery of yet another Altean had changed that.

When he turned back to the unknown Altean, he was even more confused when he noticed Artemil staring at Keith with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Time seemed to slow down when he turned back to the unknown Altean. Her focus was almost completely locked on Keith, who was too preoccupied with making sure he didn’t doze off during the meeting. 

“What?” Keith whispered under his breath. He glanced to the side and raised an eyebrow at Lance. “What are you looking at?”

Kinkade and Griffin both shifted their stances ever so slightly, keeping their focus straight ahead, but also keeping an ear on the two in case they needed to intervene.

Lance blinked at him and looked back at Artemil who was already being handed over to Acxa and hurried out of the room.

“Uh, um… nothing.”

What was _that_ about?

Allura stepped away with a smile and Shiro took his turn to address the room.

“After over three months of endless planning, welding, and pulling in resources, we're entering our final stages for the Castle of Lions II. It couldn't have been done without Coran, the Balmerans, and every single one of the crew and volunteer that poured thousands of hours into getting this done as insanely fast as it did. This could _not_ have been possible without the Coalition. Without everyone in the room and out. Thank you for banding together, and not giving up while Voltron was missing. It's because of all of you that we've come this far in such a short time.” Shiro placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head down. Allura and Coran joined him to bow as well and all felt a swell a pride when the room erupted in applause.

Shiro looked up at the crowd and saw the rest of the Voltron team clustered throwing hollers into the mix of cheers. It made a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. 

Once the crowd settled, Allura took the stage again, this time with Krolia.

“The Blade of Marmora has reached out to standing branches and have received word of the Galra receding from quadrants near Earth after the fall of Sendak. It's a good start,” Krolia admits, “but the Blades chatter on Haggar or her Druids are almost non-existent. We need to be on edge for any news that could tip us off on her activity; the Witch works best in the shadows so the longer she stays there, the more dangerous she becomes.”

Allura nodded, her lips thinned to a firm frown. “With that being said, my last talking point is a notice. Much of the universe is still struggling with the chaotic battles for power spread through myriad quadrants. There is much to be done in restoring peace and that means utilizing Voltron.”

The four Paladins straighten their posture. Each tensing in a way they hoped wouldn’t be noticed as the stood in the back of the room’s shadows.

“As the Paladins of Voltron it is our duty to restore that balance. I have mapped out several let points in our map that have been hotspots for Galra activity in order to begin that process.”

They locked onto the back of Allura's unfazed body.

Lance's right hand was visually trembling, and Hunk's breath quickened, but they gave no other indication of their emotions.

“We will leave within a movement of Castle II's successful launch.”

The rest of the meeting was a mess once Voltron was no longer leading the conversation. The Blade of Marmora tried to address the need to select a candidate for the Galra Throne and a full hour passed with arguments about what a proper candidate would look like or if a candidate, no, the Throne was even necessary for a peaceful future.

Most of it was lost on the Earthling Paladins, who were much too in their head to pay attention to anything else.

Even when the room cleared, the four of them stayed leaning against a wall.

“This is crazy… She didn't even think to bring it up to us first?”

“It wouldn't have changed what needs to be done, Hunk.” Pidge responded with a flat voice. “Voltron is needed, and we're its Paladins.”

It was clear that their comparative sacrifice was nothing compared to what Allura has been through. And it was clear that they couldn't just say no.

They were four humans. And it was the fate of the universe.

Who were they to refuse the call?

“Is this our life now?” 

The others looked to Lance as he spoke. “I know we're Paladins, I know we have a duty to perform, but when does it _end_? When is the universe gonna peaceful enough to not need Voltron?”

To not need _them_ anymore?

Keith sighed, long and heavy, staring at the spot where Allura had stood. “You know the answer to that, Lance.”

They all did.

\--

Three days.

They had three days after the Castle of Lions II passed its last calibration test. After that, it was hasta la later Earth until who knew when.

Pidge threw their entire being into amping up Earth’s defense with their Dad and brother. They stayed up until 5 in the morning only to wake up three hours later to throw themselves into more tech. Sam and Colleen were torn between savoring every moment they had with their children and making sure they weren't killing themselves with destructive habits.

In the end, it was Matt who was able to convince them that Pidge knew their limits.

“Katie has a long road to travel with Voltron, and it's only a matter of time before I'm needed back at the Rebellion HQ. Just… let us do what we can to help.”

And Matt was right. Pidge knew better now, they could prepare more; maybe not prevent a full-scale Galra attack, but they could delay it. At the very least stall it until coalition members could assist.

\--

Hunk brought his parents on Garrison payroll with leading food conservation and distribution. Their Polynesian roots stemmed in using every last scrap of food twice over and became incredibly valuable in a land that was still rebuilding its agriculture. He was consumed by the passion in the documentation of preserving herbs and fruit for when winter was bound to hit. There was no telling the impact multiple Galra bombings had on Earth's environment and they needed to expect the worst. 

He had stopped by the kitchen to help get his grandma get the base ready for its lunch shift. She has asked him to make the dinner rolls when she noticed him harshly crushing the dough.

“No, no, sweetie, you have to knead, not grind, _knead_.” Hunk’s grandma reached over to adjust his hand. In a swift motion, the sound of a slap cracked the air and she gasped, stepping away with a hand over her stinging wrist.

He curled in on the ball of dough and sunk his fingers into it. “I know how to _knead_ , Tina, I've made lasagna in space with nothing but goo and spices, I think I know how to knead!”

“Tama a la'u tama…”

Like a spell breaking the curse over him, Hunk whipped his head up and stared at his grandmother's cradled wrist in horror.

“Tina a lo'u Tina! I- I'm so sorry, I didn't- I don't know what I was thinking.”

His grandma placed her hand over his heart. “I do. You're scared.” She hummed as he stuttered. “You've always been so anxious, but this time, it's for us, no?”

Hunk didn't trust his voice just yet, so he nodded. His grandma's eyes roamed his face, as if etching each detail into her mind.

“My Hunk, you've grown so much. I'm so proud of you.”

Hunk's knee away and he fell in front of her.

“Tina, I'm terrified of leaving. What if I come back, and everyone is captured again?”

“Then you'll save us, just like you did before.”

“What if, by the time I come back, you're _gone_?”

She kneeled with him.

“I'll never be gone. I'll be in every breeze, and every hug, and every bite of taro. You know this, you know this in your heart to be true. I love you so much Hunk, and death could never change that.”

Finally, rough sobs racked Hunk’s body. He flung his arms over his grandma, wrapping her deep into his hug.

\--

Keith didn't really have a particular attachment to Earth outside of Shiro and the weird allyship he had with Griffin. 

Not to say that he didn't care about its inhabitants. 

So, he spent his time working with Shiro and Kolivan in planning logistics for Blade activity in and around Earth's galactic quadrant. They figured that with Pidge's upgraded communication system that they could afford three Blades for the planet. It was far from their expectations, but Shiro reminded Keith that his mother was the only Blade on Earth for a decade and she held her own pretty well.

After one of their meetings, Keith pulled his brother to the side. “So there's no way you're coming with us, Shiro? What if we need you? What if _I_ need you?”

Shiro chuckled.

“I hate to break it to you, Keith, but you haven't needed me for a while now. You're the leader of Voltron now, and I'm the Captain of the Atlas. There's still so much work to do on Earth. And,” his eyes darkened. “Adam had some plans for the Garrison before he, um, I- I really want to see them to completion.”

“Shiro…”

He smiled, tight and forced. “I was too late to save him, it hurts, but I understand. At the very least, I can do this.”

Keith hugged his brother and shut his eyelids to block any emotion that might betray him. “Promise to check in? At least once a week.”

“Of course, I love you, Keith.”

“I love you too, Shiro.”

\--

To the surprise of no one, Lance spent his time glued to his family. He played pretend with his niece and nephew, enacting a dragon that's kidnapped the prince of Cuba and fought the prince's brave sister as she earnestly tried to rescue her brother.

The Princess won, obviously.

He went to the Garrison Saloon (a part of the North wing that adults had turned into a makeshift bar) with his four siblings for some somber drinks. The bartender raised an eye at Lance requesting a glass, but Veronica convinced him to look the other way.

“You’re telling me he’s old enough to save the universe and planet Earth, but not old enough for some beer? C’mon, Frank, pour him a cold one.”

They squeezed into a booth meant for four and began with shy recollections of their childhood that somehow ended with Marco sobbing on his youngest brother's shoulders. It took both Rachel and Luis ten minutes of trying to peel him off of Lance before Veronica ultimately decided it was useless and opted to make it a group hug instead.

The morning after, when they were begging their Mama to stop yelling at them for drinking, they marveled at Lance’s soberness.

He shrugged it off with a, “It's hard to be affected by Earth drinks after tasting Nunvill. Everything here tastes like candy compared to that.”

\--

A few days later, he walked into the Cargo Bay, looking for someone he’d quickly grown to cherish.

“I figured I'd find you here.”

Ryan looked up from his clipboard.

Lance walked up to him and placed a hand on his cheek. “You always run inventory checks when something's on your mind.”

Ryan closed his eyes and leaned to the touch.

“You're worried about me.” Lance stated. His parallel companion hummed. “And Earth.” Ryan nodded. “...And James.”

He opened his eyes.

“It'll be okay, _we’ll_ be okay. We’ve survived a Galra armada before, we’ll stop them from getting to Earth again.”

Ryan chuckled and leaned down to softly bump their foreheads together.

“Ever the optimist.”

Lance grinned and nudged his forehead forward, “Someone’s gotta be.”

The doors to the inventory room slid open and in walked a very apprehensive Keith still too wrapped in getting his thoughts together.

“Lance, Hunk said I could find you here, I-” he stopped mid-step and his eyes turned from anxious to stunned. Lance wobbled away from Ryan as Keith’s confusion melted into a quiet, angry understanding.

They moved carefully, as if landing an incorrect step would set off the Red Paladin.

Lance gestured to the door and said, “Umm, I’ll catch up with you later, Ryan, yeah?” 

Ryan left with a nod but refused to take his eyes off of Keith until he walked past him and the doors shut behind him.

Lance skittishly looked around the room. The only sound in around them was the other's breath. One, slow and careful, and one building up in pace.

The silence continued with Keith curling and uncurling his fist. Not to threaten, but to stabilize, to ground himself.

He couldn't help but wonder ( _pray_ ) if Lance ever felt like this when he was with the Blade. When he made that stupid mistake of kissing Griffin.

He wondered if that made it okay to storm in here and kick Kinkade out to talk to Lance.

Or to continue to lash out instead of resolving their issues as was his original plan.

“So…” Keith drew out. The stinging pain of jealous added a bite to his words, as inconspicuous as he tried to make it. “You and Kinkade, huh?”

That is to say, not at all inconspicuous.

Lance raised an eyebrow. “What?” His voice was tense, and prose the word more as a warning than a question.

Keith squashed any nasty feeling that tried to come up the best he could. But they bubbled up to the surface and begged to be popped.

“I mean I was pretty surprised when I heard you turned Allura down. And, when she told me that it was because you liked someone else, I was trying to think of all the girls you flirted with out in space to try to figure out who would've stuck.”

Lance was looking at him with wide, almost fearful ocean eyes, reeling back as if Keith had struck him. 

It was getting harder for Keith to keep his emotions in check.

_You’re supposed to be fixing things, not making it worse. You can go back. Deep breaths. Patience yields focus._

Yet, against his better judgment, he continued; yielding to his impulse instead of reason.

“I’m sure I wasn't the only person surprised, but I get it. You could probably do worse than Kinkade, and he's not bad on the eyes - which let's be honest, was always most important to you anyways.”

Lance growled and stepped up to Keith.

Low, with both pain and anger, he said, “Don't you _dare_ bring Ryan into this. Whatever problem you and James have with me, I can handle it. I'm used to being the odd man out. But Ryan is a good guy, and he doesn't deserve the backlash of whatever petty thing I did made you two so angry at me.”

A large part of Keith's mind screamed to take a deep breath and unpack what Lance just said, but all his hurt heart heard was Lance choosing to defend Kinkade over comforting him.

“My _problem_ has nothing to do with Griffin. It's that you're doing what you've always done. When we were out there working and training, you threw yourself at the first girl that would give you the time of day.”

“Are you serious?” Lance whispered.

“Yeah, and I'm glad it worked out for you, but you can't let this distract you like it has in the past, the stakes are higher than ever, and we can't let you thinking with your dick put the team in jeopardy.”

“You… complete… _ass_.” Lance breathed out. He took a step closer towards Keith. “ _I’m_ distracted? Ever since you came back from your mission with the Blade, you've done _nothing_ but rag on me. I've been trying, _so hard_ to get over you- you leaving us for the Blade. I trained so much, and whenever I had to make a decision for the team, I thought, 'What would I say if Keith was here?’ And when you actually did come back, I was so… relieved! But instead, you brushed me off and played me like a fool. Not like its that hard to do with me.”

He remembered that hurried reunion. They were rushing to tell Voltron about Lotor's past. Lance had run up to his craft with the team and shouted out how… grizzled he looked. He wasn't expecting Lance's eyes to shine so much looking at him, and it was terrifying. 

So he did what he normally did, and pushed him away.

“I never thought you were a fool.” Keith narrowed his eyes, “You just… don't get it.”

“No!” The Blue Paladin screeched, “No, I don't! Because you won't say _anything_! You do nothing but push me away, and expect me to understand what you're not saying.” 

Lance reached up to his hair and tugged on it, trying to rein his sanity in.

“Ryan and I… we don't like each other like that! We're just two guys trying to help each other with their pain and _happen_ to have a crush on someone else.”

“Who?”

“Huh?”

“You’re crush. Who is it?”

If the confusion wasn’t clear on Lance’s face, it was definitely clear in his voice.

“Why do you care who I like? What does that even matter? You're the one that's too busy spending every bit of his free time with James to spend time-”

“What?” Keith rushed out, “No, I don't- we're not- nothing is going on between us!”

“You keep saying that, but I know that's not true. I knew that you liked someone when we spoke at the hospital. I knew that you kept lying to me, and it almost made me crazy trying to figure out why. I didn't care if it's not-”

Lance caught himself with a cough.

“If he's not the nicest, or the prettiest, I don't care. I just want to know why our leader doesn't trust his own right hand?”

It clicked all at once, painfully so, for Keith. 

“Ah. So that's it.” 

“Wha-”

“You're worried that your leader is going to be out of sync with the team.” He sneered. “That when we get back out there, I’m gonna go feral and do unpredictable stuff. Like join the Blade or I won’t be able to control the team.” 

“H-huh?”

“Emo kid, lone wolf, half-Galra, Leader of Voltron. All of these _stupid_ titles. I never wanted to be any of those. I just-” the hurt was getting too strong to stay leashed. 

Keith choked on his words. 

“I just wanted to be loved.”

Lance dropped all of the confusing, angry thoughts he had and gasped. Slowly, carefully, he placed his hands on both of his leader’s shoulders.

“Woah, woah, woah. Keith, what are you saying? Shiro, Krolia, the rest of the gang, we all love you.”

He tensed up in Lance’s hold and barked an ugly laugh, “Yeah, yeah. I wanted a family for so long, and I got it. I should be happy right? I shouldn't want more. But I'm greedy. I got drunk on the idea of someone looking at my messed up life and still choosing to fall in love with me. I loved someone and all I wanted was for him to love me back. I knew I was asking for too much, I _knew_ it. But I couldn't stop myself. I didn't want to stop.”

Lance dipped his head to try to see his friend's face. This was it, his moment of truth. Call it selfish, hypocritical, or reckless, but he knew this was his only chance to get a truthful answer from the closed-off man that stood before him.

“Keith,” he asked just above a whisper, “who do you love?”

Keith snapped his head up, tears jumping from his cheeks. With a defensive snarl, he bit out, “It's you asshole, it's always been you!”

He tore Lance's grip on his shoulder with a shove. Lance lost his footing, stumbled back and landed on the cold ground. It was impossible to react with anything else but his jaw-dropping and staring at the tears that continued to roll down Keith’s face.

Keith sniffed and flinched, just now realizing what he did. Turning on his heel, Keith ran off and warned Lance not to follow him.

Just as he was approaching the doors, Acxa voice came through Keith's portable communication line.

_“Keith, are you there? Um, A-Allura's requested your presence. She needs to run by some mission intel with you, **immediately** , meet her at-”_

The doors slid shut with a click and Lance stayed dazed on the floor, clueless to the passing of time or the world around him.

Keith… liked him? No, there was no way. Keith never showed interest in him. He never flirted with Lance like he did with Rolo. He never pressed his lips against Lance's like he did with James. He never reciprocated Lance's moves.

When Lance put his most vulnerable side in front of Keith, and all of the insecurities that came with it, Keith decided to run off with the Blade.

How on Earth could Keith have fallen for him?

And how on Earth could Lance have caught his interest to the point of calling it love?

Shaky fingered combed through his hair over and over again as he mulled every interaction they had, every word they shared.

It was a hodgepodge of happy and hurt and everything in between.

Just thinking about the last 5 months were enough to make his head spin.

Lance stood up and dusted himself off.

There was one thing he knew for sure.

This awkward tango they danced since the hospital was ending tonight.

It couldn’t have been longer than 30 minutes since Keith stormed off and he was a creature of habit, once he was done speaking with Allura, he would probably either dive into a training session or isolate himself in his room.

In a matter of a few breaths, he dashed out of the room and toward the training room. 

A yelp rang out as he turned a corner and crashed into someone. The same spot on his tailbone pulsed with pain after being hit twice in one day. Dazed mumbling from the filled the air before she shook her head and scrambled to get to her feet.

“Wha? Allura?” She froze and drew her attention to Lance, who rushed to help her up. A spike of fear seized him when he saw her wipe a trickle of blood from her face. “What happened to your lip? And aren't you supposed to be with Keith-”

Allura grabbed Lance’s shoulders with a grip that only the Princess of Altea could provide. He’d normally wince at the pain, but her panic, her rushed voice was squashing down any feeling outside of frantic concern.

“Keith! Why would I be with Keith?”

“I- Acxa called his comm line. She said that you wanted to talk to him. What’s ha-”

The color from her face drained. 

“No, nonono _no_ \- Lance, reach out to Red. Ask him where he is, where he's going, now!”

Bewildered, he closed his eyes and began to focus on his current Lion.

Weird fuzziness began to fill his mind. Lance tried to push past it, but the more he resisted, the deeper the sensation took over his mind. It wrapped around his sense of touch, sight, sound. He opened his eyes and saw Allura looking increasingly more frantic.

“I’m- I- I can’t. It feels like there's static all around our connection.” 

Allura released her hold on Lance and rushed to the nearest emergency intercom.

“Pidge, Red’s been hijacked. Have Coran and Romelle sent to the loading dock _immediately_ to prepare the Castle by the time I come back! And get Hunk and Shiro!” She didn't bother to wait for a confirmation, and grabbed his hand, yanking him to match her running speed. 

“Allura!” Lance shouted. “ _Please_ , tell me what’s going on!”

As they sped down the corridor, she kept facing forward. The sound of her heels rapidly clicking against the floor pushed him closer and closer to mania. 

Her head dipped, her voice thick with shame and guilt.

“I failed. I was tricked. _Again_.”

Allura took deep breaths, and continued, “Artemil is Haggar's. I saw her corrupting Red and when I tried to stop her, I presume Acxa knocked me out from behind. When I came to, Red was gone.”

A cold, sick feeling clawed its way through his stomach, wrapped itself around his throat, and kept him silent till they arrived at the Garrison's command center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this one took over a month to put ouuutttt 
> 
> I really wanted to finish this before the last season aired, but it looks like Dec. 14 is gonna rek me before I can ;w;
> 
> Also! I updated the tags to properly reflect where I see this going! It seemed a little unfair to put other ships on the relationship tags if they were already portrayed as not the end game


	5. Make Your Peace and Take the Lead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Lance talks to a lot of people. Probably too many people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! I am gonna try super hard to at least get one more chapter out before the 14th - fingers crossed!!!

Mission Control is a whirlwind of frenzied movement by the time they arrive.

Shiro was at the helm launching out status update commands across the room and several teams were relaying information to multiple sources. Allura casted Lance's hand aside to position herself by Shiro’s side, eyes jumping between everyone speaking and absorbing every word she heard.

Lance backed up to the wall watching everyone working so hard through the chaos. 

The typical feeling of being useless, small, insignificant came in waves.

What could he do? How could he help? He wasn't strong like Shiro, couldn't manipulate technology like Pidge, didn't have authority like Allura, or had engineering prowess like Hunk.

Speaking of which...

“Pidge, where's Hunk? We need to _move_.” Allura stressed deeply on 'move,’ as if doing so would magically summon their Yellow Paladin.

“He's on his way, _Princess_ ,” Pidge rushed out. Although they responded, almost all of their attention was on the screen in front of them. Computer keys were being smashed to a nearly cruel speed. “He just needs to finis- aha, I got a line!”

They slammed a finger on the enter key and blasted a forced live feed to the main screens in front of everyone in the room.

The line kicked off with nothing but static. Slowly, colors bled through and stitched together.

It showed a dazed Keith piloting Red, looking straight ahead with glassy, purple slits over a pale yellow sclera. To his side was Acxa and Artemil, who were focused entirely on one another. 

“You hurt her!” Acxa cried out. “You said no one would get hurt!”

Artemil rolled her eyes, “I _said_ no one would die, and I kept true to my word. Besides, I recall _you_ being the one that knocked her out.” 

It seemed she got over her nonverbal behavior pretty well.

“Oh, don’t give me that! You were winding your magic up, that didn’t leave me much of a choice.”

Artemil scoffed.

“You _always_ have a choice, and you’d do best not to forget that, Acxa. You _chose_ to follow me, and we’ve recieved the rewards we sought for the risks we took. Now, you finally get to-”

A red, blinking light on the dashboard grabbed her attention and she seized Acxa's arm. “Is that an open communication line? What are you standing around for, you know what to do!”

Acxa scrambled over Keith who had paid no mind to their bickering or to the other half-Galra reaching over him to cut the line.

She looked into the camera and frowned. “You know where to find us. ...Please, forgive me, V.”

Everyone in the room watched in shock as static wash over the main screen.

The only sound that broke their silence was the white noise of a disconnected line. Pidge closed the transmission and stared at their holomonitor.

“Was that enough?” Shiro asked. “Were you able to get what you needed, Pidge?”

They struck a few more keys and read their data output.

The Green Paladin hung their head low and shook.

“No, the only information I have is that they're outside of the galaxy, but that could literally mean _anything_.”

“ _Fuck!_ ” 

A large clang rang out as someone flung a chair at the blank wall. Everyone searched for the source and saw Veronica panting with her body still twisted in the throwing motion. An analyst tried to comfort her, but she pushed them away and wrapped her arms around herself. 

She offered a small apology and addressed a stunned Allura.

“I think she was talking to you in that first sentence, Princess.”

Allura furrowed her eyebrows and thought deeply about Acxa’s words.

“No,” she gasped with a sudden realization. “She couldn't have.” 

“I'm here!” A voice shouted through the main entrance doors. Hunk barreled in with a device in his arms. “I- I did it. I can't verify the accuracy and I don't even know how close you'd need to be to activate the alarm, but this should do it!”

“What is ‘it’, Hunk?” The princess asked as she approached the device.

Pidge grinned and hopped over to him as well.

“It's a biometric locator! After the lockdown incident in the Castle, we schemed over different security measures we could put in place - this is one of them. It can act as a guiding compass to any member of Voltron, Coran and Romelle included!”

“ _If_ it works.” Hunk weakly added.

A lightbulb went off in Lance's head.

He could never do what _they_ did best.

But he could do what _he_ did best.

Be there for his friends, support them, guide them.

Lead them.

“It _will_.” Lance pushed forward. “If anyone can engineer it into existence, you can.” He ignored the heavy weight deep inside, and nodded at his best friend.

Hunk smiled and nodded back.

“This is _exactly_ what we need, thank you Hunk.” Allura smiled, voracious and determined. Regarding him and Pidge, she continued, “I need you two to do something incredibly difficult. I need you to stay here, and defend Earth with the others.”

Pidge rose an eyebrow. “Allura, what are you saying? Keith needs us, we can't abandon him!”

Lance offered his support on her shoulder.

“Of course we're not, Pidge. Red is the fastest Lion. If we can find them with Hunk's machine, we're going to need Black's wings to chase after them. But we can't take Castle II and the rest of the Lions leaving only the Atlas ad Earth's only protection.” He sighed. “And if we don't make it, we can't let Haggar have Voltron.”

The Green and Yellow Paladins shared a concerned look yet agreed to the plan.

Allura nodded. “Precisely. I'll take Blue and we’ll find Red, rescue Keith, face Haggar and find where they’re hiding my people. Shiro,” She faced the Atlas Captain, “I know what I'm asking is hard, but we need you to fly Black once more.”

Shiro hesitated his response. He gripped his chin and hummed. “I'll do it, but can Lance ride with me?”

“Of course,” she blinked, not fully understanding his condition. “We’ll leave in two vargas.”

Shiro moved control of the Atlas to Sam, and had asked Lance if they could meet in front of Black in a varga. Lance distractingly agreed, but it wouldn't be before checking in on his sister.

He saw her leave the room after they finalized the plan and hurried down the slope of the room to run after her.

\--

“Veronica! Ronnie! _Espera!_ ” He ran up to her fleeting figure and grabbed her wrist, but she still refused to face him. “Veronica…”

“It's my fault,” she said with her voice so hoarse, Lance could almost feel the itchiness in her throat. “She got close to me, she made me- I actually _thought_ -” Veronica turned her head and the hurt pooling in her eyes was almost enough for Lance to forget how to breathe. “The Garrison security weren't going to clear her. Even with pressure from the Blade, they were too cautious, too uncertain. I convinced them otherwise. Acxa said, she said it was the best chance to find the other Alteans and for the Blade to trust her. I thought she meant well, and I- I-” Her unshed tears finally spilled over and with a whimper, she admitted, “I just wanted to make her happy.”

Lance spun his sister into a hug, she sobbed into his neck and shook madly in his arms.

“I ate out of the palm of her hand a-and now Keith is gone. I'm so sorry, _hermano_ , I- _perdóname, por favor, mi hermanito. Dios mío, discúlpame, discúlpame, yo-_ ”

“Ah, ah, ah,” he hushed her as he soothingly ran his hand through her hair. “Enough of that. You're not allowed to apologize for being the amazing sister I've always known. Someone betrayed your trust, and that sucks. But it speaks of their actions, not yours. You didn't do anything wrong.”

She buried herself deeper in his hold.

“Lancito, when did you grow up so much?”

He flashed a self-deprecating smile.

“Sometime between fighting an intergalactic war and rescuing Earth from Galra reigns, I'm sure.”

Veronica laughed and messily wiped her face of any tears or snot. “Well, I don't want the last image you have of me before you come back end up being a blubbering mess. Because you are.” She sniffed. “You're coming back, Lance. If you end up missing another Christmas, I'm going into space and dragging you back before New Year's. Do you hear me?”

He grinned to fight the heartache of leaving his family again.

“Wouldn't dream of it.”

\--

“Lance, do you have a moment?”

He almost tripped over his feet when he was stopped on his way to the hangar.

“K-Krolia! I, um… yeah, sure. I was just heading over to Black right now.”

She grunted in acknowledgment. They stood in the relatively private hallway, looking at each other.

Sweat started to bead at his temple.

“I… don’t like you.” She said after another moment of silence.

Although it was something that he was well aware of, it was still painful to hear straight from the Galra’s mouth.

“I know.”

“I’ve never liked you.” She persisted.

“I- I know.”

“Did you ever wonder why?”

If Lance had to take a guess as to why she was torturing him like this, it was that she was pissed Keith was gone and needed to take it out on him before he headed out.

“Um, I- I’m annoying? And loud, and I don’t know when to shut up? I don’t- is this really necessary?”

Krolia towered over him.

“When Keith and I were on our journey through the Quantum Abyss, we saw visions. We saw glimpses of the past and of the future. The future visions were much more blurry than the past. They were distorted words and voices, but the past was like looking into a holodevice - crystal clear.”

She took a sharp intake of breath.

“When we were asleep was when we saw our more intimate memories. It was through Keith’s slumber I saw when you two professed your passion for one another while he cradled you in his arms.”

Lance’s stomach lurched.

The Bonding Moment.

“I was so happy, that my son had managed to find a mate, and I wanted to ask him about it, but then a vision of the future came. Choppy, and broken, but I heard enough. Keith weeping in Shiro’s arms about how right Shiro was to tell him not to fall for you. That you and the Princess had confessed to each other. By the time he came to, we saw when he asked you if you remember the ‘Bonding Moment’ to which you insisted you didn’t. He tried to laugh it off, say it was nothing - but how could I believe that after the visions I had seen the night prior?”

“No, Krolia, you don't understand-” 

“It’s you who doesn’t understand, Lance. I wasn’t there for Keith and I regret every second I was away from him. But I am still his mother. He is still my child. I refused to be civil with the man that would play around with my son’s heart like that.” She debated saying her next words. “It’s why I demanded the nurse and Acxa to refuse you visiting Keith at the hospital.”

“ _That’s_ why I couldn’t get a hold of him?”

Krolia shrugged off his words. “I clearly didn’t have trust in the right people. I still resent you for hurting Keith. Now is hardly the time to address that-”

“I love him!” Lance cut her off with eyes clenched shut. “I love Keith, Krolia. What he heard wasn’t the entire conversation, and- and because we were both so intensely emotionally constipated, we ended up hurting each other a lot. But, I need to find him, I need to tell him how I feel, and if he never wants to speak to me again, I get it, I really do.”

Krolia knitted her eyebrows.

“I… but- you denied the ‘bonding moment’.”

His pitiful blue eyes met her skeptical violet. “Because I was terrified. But I’m not like that anymore, I promise.”

Krolia considered this as an actual possibility.

“Failure to court a mate is a terrible thing for a Galra to experience. If you’re serious about this, _and if you’re not so help me,_ you better do what you can to make this right.”

“One hundred percent, for sure.” 

She curtly bobbed her head and he took that as his cue to leave.

“And Lance?” He stopped, quizzically turning his head to the side. Krolia looked away and furiously tapped her index finger against her other forearm. “I never thought you were annoying.”

Attuned more confidence in where they stood, he smirked. “Really? Cause, I distinctly remember you telling people to shut me up.”

“I know what I said!” She hissed out. “I’m only- what I’m _trying_ to say, is that I… am _aware_ , that you are, overall, a good person. I mean, you _are_ a Paladin of Voltron after all.”

“Aww, Krolia, that might have been the nicest thing you ever said to me.”

Her face felt flat. 

“Then again, Zarkon was a Paladin of Voltron.”

“Fair enough,” Lance shrugged, he began to walk away and threw a wave in the air. “Wish me luck!”

She stared at his retreating back.

“Good luck, Lance.”

\--

As he neared the Lion's hangar, Lance saw Ryan and James waiting for him. They appeared deep in conversation and if it wasn't for the fact that they were _never_ in this ward together, he would've offered them privacy.

“Hey guys, what's going on?”

The hushed words they shared died in their throat and they turned to face him.

“Lance,” Ryan said. “I-” he side glanced James who found a fascinating spot on the ground to stare at. Ryan promptly elbowed his teammate's ribs which was met with a resounding _'oof_ ’. “ _We_ wanted to wish you a safe mission. Right?”

The blue Paladin stared at the man that had tormented him for the better of five months, both directly and indirectly. James stared back with something that verged on a pout.

“Don't… don't worry about Earth when you're up there. We held our fair share when Voltron wasn't here, it'll be a breeze with two Lions helping us out. So,” he raised a soft fist and tapped Lance's shoulder. “You better not think about coming home without Kogane.”

“ _Griffin_ ,” Ryan warned, bristling at the comment.

Lance didn't break eye contact from James. It's what allowed him to see what he actually meant.

_As much as it pains me to admit, I believe in you. So, give it your all._

He nodded, and responding, “I won't.” Then, with a mischievous smile, leapt to wrap both of them in a group hug. It was brief, but enough to earn a squawk out of James. He grinned at them and went into the Lion's hangar.

James and Ryan watched Lance race off.

“Did you ever… you know, do anything? With McClain?”

The corner's of Ryan's mouth quirked up.

“Like shove him in a supply closet and try to kiss him?” Ryan answered, still looking at the sliding doors. He heard another strangled noise pour from James. “Or use him as a projection for the feelings I had for my teammate?”

James’ face was aflame with a wildfire blush. 

“Had?”

Ryan's eyes crinkled in amusement.

“Have,” he corrected himself. “Then, no, I didn't do anything with Lance. I only have eyes for my Captain, after all.”

“I-” James hugged himself. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Ryan. I was just… scared.”

“Do you plan on doing it again?”

“Of course not.”

Ryan smiled, soft and true. He settled a hand on his leader’s hair.

“Then, I suppose just this once, I can forgive you.”

James tilted his head to take more of his sharpshooter’s touch.

“However,” Ryan continued with an edge in his voice, “the next time you pull something like this instead of simply telling me how you feel, I’m going to file a transferal request.”

James flinched and sharply looked up.

“You don’t mean that.”

Ryan maintained his smile with a glint in his eye, turned, and walked down the aisle.

“K-Kinkade!” James called out, “That was a joke, right? You didn’t mean that, right?”

He shot a glance back to James. “I thought I was easy to read?”

_Relaxed. Playful. Teasing._

James growled, a brush of red still dusting his cheeks, and quickened his pace to match his sharpshooter.

\--

Shiro had been standing in front of Black when Lance walked in the hangar, staring up at his Lion's face. 

“Are you ready?” Lance asked once he was in speaking distance of the older man.

Shiro jumped a bit. He watched the Blue Paladin step up beside him and as he did, Black's jaws dropped, allowing them access to her ship.

“Why did you want me to ride with you so bad, Shiro?”

He stepped into Black's mouth and gestured for Lance to follow. “Come inside, there's something I think I need to show you.” 

The uneasy in his friend's voice escalated Lance’s anxiety (already at a decent 7) up to an 8. Nevertheless, he followed suit.

The moment Lance entered the cockpit, he choked on the air he was breathing. 

An onslaught of sensations and emotions that weren't his surrounded his being. His trembled and couldn't stop the whimper that escaped his throat as he began to lament - the power of all the raw thoughts entering his mind hitting each time with greater and greater force. Rippled waves of pain and loss and mourning were tugging and pulling at everything that made Lance think, made him feel.

Lance lifted his heavy, sluggish head and watched with blurring vision as Shiro caressed the seat that he hadn't occupied since Keith came back. Shiro approached him with care. Gingerly, he placed his hand on Lance’s shoulders.

“What are you feeling?” His whispered voice was like the calm before the store; light, but a forewarning of a much greater force to come.

Another whimper crawled from Lance and his shoulders shook from a rough sob. 

“Pathetic.” He answered. “I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t protect you, and when Keith was in danger, while Red was being corrupted, I was too weak to do anything.”

“No, you've done so much. You pulled me out of a darkness I didn't see the light out of.” Shiro cradled Lance's cheek with his left hand. “You're the reason I'm still here.” 

He lifted his chin up and locked eyes with the Black Paladin.

A gray pulse of energy outlined Lance's eyes and when he stared at Shiro, a life force much older than either one of them spoke in place.

“How can you still love me so much, my dear Paladin?”

Shiro smiled, bittersweet and longing for a life where things ended so much differently from the world they lived in.

“Because you're my Lion, no amount of quintessence can tell me otherwise.”

“My Paladin…”

The light black fog that made Lance's eyes murky lifted and he found himself coughing, lungs burning as he gasped for air. He gripped the arms securing him up and asked, “What- what _was_ that? It was like- for a tick, I could feel everything. Like- like I _was_ -”

“Black.” Shiro finished.

“But… _how?_ Why was she so, why didn't she talk to us like normal? Through our minds?”

Shiro clicked his tongue. 

The facts were so clear to him that it was another loss to experience, another morning to go through.

But he couldn’t afford to grieve. Not when Lance needed his guidance. Not when Keith needed them both.

“Because I can't communicate with her anymore. I didn't know she could channel herself through you like that though, I'm sorry.”

The blue Paladin shakily released his hold on Shiro to stand up on his own. He placed a hand on his chest to help calm his heartbeat and took deep, even breaths.

“When did you know?”

“Since I came back from the astral plane. I think that Black moving me out of there and into the clone severed the last connection I had to her. Pretty much every week we've been back on Earth I've tried to talk to her and open her up. And I wasn't sure until this moment. She didn't open up for me, but the second you came by, she let us in.”

They heard a deep, low rumble come from her engines.

“I can’t understand her words, but it’s like she didn't mean to. She only wanted to get you to do the right thing.” Lance translated her words for Shiro. “What? What does she mean by that?”

The Black Paladin sighed and went up to the console, offering it a soft pet or two. “I know girl, thanks for believing in me.”

He motioned for Lance to sit in the chair.

“I think you already know what it means.”

The dreadful lead in his stomach sunk further. “But, but, I don't want to take your place, _or_ Keith's. I don't care about that anymore, I... I just want to bring him back.”

“And that's exactly why Black is asking for your help now, Lance. We need you to do this. For Keith's sake, we need you to be the Leader you've proven yourself time and time again to be.”

Lance bit his bottom lip and sat in the chair. His nerves furiously rattled his hands as he placed them on the movement thrusters.

Hunk’s voice echoed from the hangar speakers. 

“The Castle is ready for Black and Blue! Launching in T-10! 9! 8!”

Another rumble moved the pilot seat.

It was a question.

What would you do to save your team? To save your friends? To save Keith?

Lance gripped the handles tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

“Anything.”

He pushed the thrusters forward and the console lit up with Black's proud, fierce roar.

_The only answer I would have taken, my Paladin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BLACK.
> 
> PALADIN.
> 
> LANCE.
> 
> (imean,itsprobablynotgoingtobepermanent,butwecanenjoytheridetillthen)


	6. Are You Gracious in Defeat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only a few hours before the last season airs and I'm high key emotional :( I've cherished this fandom more than any other I've been in and I'm so thankful for all of you guys that have bookmarked, kudo'd and commented on all of my work so far.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys Season 8 and our precious boys get the happy ending they deserve.
> 
> And if they don't, I'll do my best to make one for them :'')

Black soared through the air at a breakneck speed, making Lance's entire body shake from the g-force. He pushed and forced the lion to lean into a turn with much greater strength then he was used to.

“Easy into it,” Shiro offered. “Black knows what she has to do, your job is to guide her there.”

Which was leagues different from piloting Blue, a gentle mother steering her child from the edge of a playpen. Or Red, who was a wild stallion that hated the thought being tamed, but would settle for a worthy rider.

No, instead Black was the queen on his chessboard; so much stronger than anything he'd ever touched before, but needed the will of her pilot to execute it.

Sure.

He could do that. 

He was like, the King of Guiding.

Lance exhaled a nervous puff of breath and eased his twist on the thrusters.

Black purred in his head.

_Much better._

Allura's face blipped on the dashboard, worried and confused.

“Shiro, is everything alright in there? Black looks a little unstab- _Lance_?” Her voice pitched much higher than normal. She gaped at the screen that displayed Shiro and Lance's sheepish face.

“We're fine Princess, just working on our transitionary period.”

“O-oh. Right.” She said plainly.

Shiro nudged Lance and gestured him to follow through the conversation.

He coughed into his fist. “Well, let's gather in the Castle and we can talk about where Haggar might be.”

After another beat of shock passed, a smile blossomed on her face.

“Copy that, Lance!”

Allura cut her connection and led Blue into the Lion bay inside the Castle.

Lance let out a shaky sigh. He stretched his neck out and did the same with Black.

By the time Black opened her mouth, Lance and Shiro walked out to bay seeing Allura bouncing on her heels.

“Lance! Shiro!”How did this happen?”

“I... can't fly Black anymore. My connection to her was cut after my spirit left the astral plane and entered this body.”

“Oh.” Allura stilled her excitement and clenched the space on her armor above her heart. “Shiro, I'm so sorry.”

Shiro shook his head. “We need to focus on the objective at hand. Finding Keith is the only thing on my mind right now. Besides,” he ruffled Lance’s hair. “I couldn’t have asked Black for a better pick.”

“ _Placeholder,_ ” Lance stressed. An embarrassed flush settled on his cheeks. “I’m just here until we rescue Keith.” 

A fondness took hold of Allura's features.

“Clearly.” She agreed with a nod. “I told you, you were destined for greatness.”

Lance couldn't find the words to respond back to her, but she seemed to understand his reaction. She motioned to the corridor with her hand, “Let's head over to the bridge.”

And for that, he was grateful.

\--

“Lance, my boy!” Coran greeted with a joyous shout, “It's so good to see you again! Granted not under the best circumstances, but it's been so long!”

“Yeah, you and Romelle have been so busy with getting this place up and running.” He looked around the bridge. “It's incredible, just like the first Castle.”

“Well, not exactly.” Romelle piped up. “We've upgraded the defense measures greatly, and fitted the Castle with state of the art security.” She tapped the pedestal's console and out popped up a green diagram. “Pidge installed a three-layer authentication factor that is required to make any changes to the main protocol which currently only Coran and I have access to. The Garrison also boosted our shield matrix to withstand attacks up to 40% more than this Castle’s predecessor.”

Lance whistled, clearly impressed by how far Romelle had come from a mousey Altean clueless to the universe outside her dome.

“Coran's really whipped you into shape, huh?”

She beamed and gave a two finger salute. “I need to make sure I help where I can! And the more I learn, the more I can transfer to the others when we find them.”

Shiro pulled up the nearby galaxy mappings. “We still need to figure out where Acxa and Artemil fled to.” Allura inched over to the panel and pulled up another galaxy entirely.

“There’s no need, I know which quadrant they went to exactly.”

Coran gasped. “Princess, that’s quadrant P046-X2.”

“Precisely. Where we sacrificed the Castle of Lions to close the rifts we created.”

“Why would Acxa take Keith there? Why would Haggar be there?”

“Because that’s where we left Lotor in one of the rifts. Lotor is Haggar’s son. If she was able to provide Artemil with enough quintessence to power a Mecha of Lotor’s creation, then that means she’s mastered quintessence manipulation. Which _means_ she went to Oriande. Lotor had said that Haggar wanted to make him her puppet, so if she’s mastered handling quintessence than she must be trying to take him out of the rift.”

“But… what does that have to do with Keith?” Lance asked.

She thinned her lips. “His half-Galra half-Human gene allow him an unusually high quintessence reserve; the highest on the team. It would be easy for her to use him as a portal to open a rift.”

Lance and Shiro paled.

“We need to open a portal _now_ ,” Lance mumbled into his palm.

Romelle took her turn at the panel and activated the teleduv. “Already on it!”

\--

A weak, steady beep emitted from Hunk’s machine the moment they left the portal into P046-X2, which was music to everyone ears.

Shiro fished out a tiny cube from his pocket and presented it to the team. “We don't have Pidge to install the schematic probes remotely, so we're going to plug the attachment she gave us in one of the ship’s security panels when we infiltrate it.”

Lance attached the beeping machine to the armor on his left arm.

They hopped into Black and flew at a slow angle to avoid detection as much as possible.

Once they reached a close enough distance, Black held one more note for her pilot.

_You need to bring Keith back Lance. He **must** come back to me - do you understand?_

_‘Uh, yeah. Yeah, of course Black, I’ll bring him back. I promise.’_

They cleared the rest Lance pulled out his bayard and shifted it to a rifle. He scanned the approaching ship and tagged a side. “This one has the weakest structural point.”

Shiro increased the heat on his arm until it glowed and cut out a shape for them to sneak in to.

After getting in the ship, they crept along the walls of the corridor. Allura found a panel to tear off and plugged the device Pidge provided. She waited a few moments, then opened the communication line in her helmet.

“What are we looking at Coran?” 

“Hmm, looks like you're currently in the resting chambers.” He scrolled through the schematics. “I don't see holding cells or anything that would resemble a section for prisoners.”

“What kind of war ship doesn't have holding cells?” Lance asked.

“The kind that doesn’t have a need for one,” Allura answered. “I’m going to upload these plans to our suits, let’s use them to relay meeting points should we be separated.”

\--

Shiro, Lance and Allura's sped down the halls following the blip emanating from Hunk's device.

When the doors opened to reveal a lone man, cloaked and masked in dark purple tones, Shiro was quick to jump to action. In a flash of sharp light blue, he activated his arm to a blade.

“Go!” He shouted, “I'll catch up with you.”

Lance began to reach his bayard, “The three of us can take this guy out easy!”

“No, Lance, we can't afford to waste time like that.” The muscles in his shoulders tensed when the masked man shifted his stance to reveal a prosthetic right leg - strikingly similar to his old Galra arm. He clicked his tongue when the beeping locator on the Blue Paladin's armor grew stronger. “I got this, find Keith!”

Lance and Allura shot each other a look of determination and rushed to the next door. The man's hood whipped back as he chased after them, revealing tufts of auburn hair. Shiro ran to match his pace. A loud clang echoed in the room as his metal arm clashed against the man's leg, stopping him from striking Allura.

They left the room with the echoes of footfall and solid beeps following along.

The hair on Allura's nape raised ticks prior to the feeling of wind lifting her hair up. A crash and a shout came shortly after. She stopped to a skid and turn to see Lance on the floor fighting to get up with Acxa holding him down. The machine tracking Keith was scattered beside him, cracked, but faithfully beeping along.

She made her muscles taught until they grew enough to raised her height. Puffing her chest, Allura shoulder checked Acxa off of Lance. She dug her nails into the meat of Acxa's collarbone and pinned her to the wall.

“Take the machine, Lance,” Allura said without leaving her eyes off of Acxa's face. He shuffled to grab it and took off without looking back.

“Acxa…” Allura tilted her neck. “You hurt someone that cared for you deeply on Earth.” She dug her fingers into Acxa's biceps until she winced. “One the few people that can say they do. I hope it was worth it.

“I don't expect you to understand, Princess,” she hissed back. “You've never been able to show love for anything outside of your desire to rule over others.”

“ _What did you say?_ ” 

Allura wanted nothing more than to make the Galra in front of her realize the pain she'd put others through. The sacrifices they were willing to make to clean up her betrayal.

“You spoke so fondly of Keith; We trusted you enough to get betrayed by you. And for what? What could have possibly been worth throwing away your honor to serve Haggar once more?”

Acxa's eye grew wild and she rammed her knee into Allura's stomach, pushing her away with a fierce shove. Her fangs creeped out and prodded from her lips.

“I haven't thrown my honor away and I _don't_ serve Haggar!” Allura regained her footing by kicking off against the floor.

Acxa's lip curled up. “You want to see her. To defeat her, don't you? She is the only person that knows where the Alteans are since moving them from the dome.” She stepped away from the wall and brushed the dust off her uniform. “In the large chambers three rights from here.”

There was no dishonesty in her voice as far as Allura could tell, which made the information that much more confusing.

Before she could ask why, Acxa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms firmly.

“My bringing Keith here was fulfilling a debt I owed. It's fulfilled, so whatever happens to her is beyond my concerns.”

“...why help me then?”

Acxa drummed her fingers against her folded arms.

“Because _he_ would want me to.” She replied bitterly. Acxa raised her hand. “You're not gonna get a deeper explanation from me, you don't really deserve it as far as I'm concerned. But-” Her faltering voice was the only giveaway against her annoyed demeanor. “She's much smarter than you. Than any of us. She’s lived too long not to be. Don't walk in thinking you'll win just because you think you're right.”

Allura couldn’t tell why Acxa said what she said, yet knew that asking her to elaborate was a moot point.

“This conversation isn’t over.” She insisted. “You’ll answer for your deception. And for hurting Veronica.”

Acxa flinched.

“Trust me, Princess. You haven’t seen the last of me.”

The Princess of Altea read that as a promise and dashed off in search of Haggar.

\--

The chambers Acxa spoke of were easy enough to identify. Standing in front of Allura were huge doors etched with elaborate patterns across and down the frame of the doors. They held latches on the edge, standing apart of the typical sliding mechanisms most doors in a ship held.

Resolve rolled off of Allura in waves as she moved to push the grandiose doors forward.

It was a room as large as the doors it held behind. The area was dimly lit with eight large pillars framing the edges of the room.

In the center was Haggar, cloaked and standing hunched over a large table which eight matching bombastic chairs that occupied the otherwise barren room.

Allura stalked towards her. “Haggar,” she roared. “It's time we finished this!”

The older Altean raised her head. She turned to face the Princess and calmly raised her hands to lower the hood covering her face.

Allura stifled a startled noise and quickly formed it to a growl.

“What kind of sick game are you playing?”

The cool expression on Haggar's face was unchanged save for a slight eyebrow raise.

She had shed the purple skin that once overtook her frail body, but the fiercely distorted markings on her cheeks still drooped down to the corners her mouth. 

Though, that was hardly Allura's focus at all. 

Her eyes were fixated on the jeweled crown (so similar to her mother's) that was resting on Haggar’s forehead.

A Queen's crown.

“Princess Allura,” the older woman said. “Come, sit, we have much to discuss.”

White, crackling energy sparked around Allura's hands. “I don't think so.” She seethed, posing herself to attack.

Haggar sighed, as if disappointed, and lifted her left index and middle finger. She swiped them down and turned to sit down at the table she had prepared in the open room.

Allura's hands twitched waiting for the first move. Most likely a trick if she could recall their last fight.

She didn't expect it to be from someone else.

Figures jumped from the shadows across the room. They landed both around her and in the gap between her and Haggar. Allura gasped as weapons from arrows, to whips, to blasters were raised, aimed and prepared to fire at her.

The shock from their partial ambush was nothing compared to the calm fury they showed the intruder threatening their queen.

The lack of Druids roaming the halls made sense now. It seemed Haggar no longer had any need of Druids protecting her.

Not when Allura was sure she could fight them off with ease.

Not when Haggar had Alteans.

Her Alteans.

Her _people._

Allura grimaced, lowered her hands and held one against her stomach to quell the repugnance thrashing inside.

The bored look never left Haggar's face as she watched Allura cautiously walk towards the open seat.

“I'm impressed you came alone.”

“I'm _never_ alone.” Allura hissed out. “Even now, my Paladins-”

“Oh, I'm well aware of the Black and Blue Paladins.” Haggar answered dismissively. She blinked at Allura freezing on her words then continued, “They will be preoccupied until the moment we're done here, I assure you, but that isn't what I meant. You seem to have a stark notion of Haggar, and to be honest, I thought you'd at least bring the Green Paladin with you to offer a more covert action than clawing a hole through my ship’s side.”

“I'm not afraid of you, witch.”

“I'm not asking you to be afraid, and I'm not the witch you seek vengeance on.”

Allura's snarl was deep and angry. “What sort of fool do you take me for? You may have been able to corrupt my Paladins, you may have poisoned my people and their minds, but you can't use your tricks on me. You can't use it against me, because I. Am. _Stronger_ than you.”

Still, her words were unable to disrupt Haggar's demeanor.

“Physically, there is no doubt. When it comes to wielding arcane quintessence, I'm sure the only reason I would best you is experience.”

Haggar's lips tugged to a small frown.

“But you are weak where it matters most in a sovereign rule. I had many opportunities to observe you at work through my Kuron project. Strategically, you're the equivalent of a newborn tezil. Your leadership is sloppy at best, as you favor diplomacy over the interests of your allies, which is a shock to no one given you had grown in a time of peace, and had the same ...Royal Advisor as Alfor.”

“How _dare_ you-”

Haggar raised a palm.

“Which brings me to your temperament. 

To rule is to be strong, to be collected, and think with a clear mind for your people. It is what allows great rulers to make tough decisions.” She gestured to the group of Alteans that watched the Princess closely. Their weapons were gripped tightly in their hands still, not trusting Allura enough to let their guards down. “Since entering here, what have you done to show our people you mean the best for them? Tear through my ships defenses, infiltrate our security and come bursting in with the intention of attacking?”

“Save your manipulation for someone you can actually twist, witch. If anyone else in this room had a clear mind, it would be _you_ they point their weapons at.”

Haggar clicked her tongue. 

“If that's what you need. Pilón, offer your mind to the Princess.”

The Altean with the blaster stepped forward with uncertainty.

“Your Highness, I- I-”

Haggar offered a small smile. “You are safe, she cannot harm you, nor does she want to, isn't that right, Princess?”

Allura hoped the word quiznak was read from her glare. The anger melted into worry and concern when she turned to Pilón.

“You have nothing to fear from me, my goal is only to see all Alteans safe and prosperous.”

His light green eyes glanced at his Queen once more before placing his weapon at their feet and kneeling to Allura.

The circumstances were so different than how she expected it to be, but still, her throat tightened at the sight of an Altean kneeling to her.

She wanted nothing more than to wrap Pilón in a hug and never let go.

Instead, she called out to the quintessence swirling in and around her. Her eyes fluttered shut as the warm feeling of energy pooling in her hand grew stronger. She reached out to the Altean soldier's head and placed her hands on both sides. The man flinched, but complied to the touch.

Like webs streaking across a globorian's nest, Allura’s quintessence swept across his mind. 

And again. And again.

Once more.

No, that can't be right.

“Too much direct exposure in one session isn't good for either person, Princess.”

Haggar's voice cut through her session and Allura was pulled back into the present. She moved her hands to ease the building migraine pounding at her head.

Pilón grabbed his blaster and stumbled up to his feet.

“That doesn't make any sense,” Allura muttered under her breath. She stared at Pilón as he gripped his long light brown hair in an effort to collect his composure. “Why couldn't I-”

“Detect previous quintessence influence? Because there was none. I haven't touched any of their minds.”

She turned her attention to Haggar and asked angrily, “What lies have you told them?”

“Pilón, please help the Princess understand once you're able to.”

He took a deep breath and spoke in front of Allura.

“Your Highness has been truthful since she first introduced herself to our clan. Two deca-phoebs ago, she arrived at our colony broken and distressed. We weren't sure what to do, so we took her to Chief Horil. She told us that her son Lotor had taken our ancestors to that site generations ago and had spent that time cultivating us for our quintessence. After his fight with your team, Your Highness had discovered our colony's existence in the notes of Prince Lotor. She rushed to explain the war that our ancestors escaped from and how it was still going on.”

He looked to his Queen, whose gaze was averted, an uncomfortable grimace apparent.

“She had asked us for justice, had offered her life after informing us of her son's… disappearance. Queen Honerva brought any notes or research that mentioned our colony and insist that they perish with her. It was the only way to ensure that we could continue to live in peace without outside interference and the only way prevent us from an inevitable demise as the Galra command would grow reckless and antsy without its typical stream of quintessence source.”

Pilón licked his drying lips.

“So, we chose the only viable option we saw - we hosted a mourning mother and held a communal service for Prince Lotor.” His voice lowered to a whisper, “It lasted over a movement.”

“But… how could you take her in after all their family did to destroy our land, our culture, our people?”

His gaze hardened.

“Because we already knew everything she spoke of.” 

Allura's hand clasped her open mouth.

Pilón continued, “It was something all Alteans learned living on our land. Lotor personally scouting the universe for our ancestors. Working to find a planet that we could begin a new on. That our way of living could only be supported with the noble sacrifice of our own people. Lotor insisted that he was working on a way to extract raw quintessence from another realm, and once he did, he would use his powers as ruler of the world of old to introduce us back into existence.” His eyes narrowed to a murderous glare. “Something your people saw an end to.”

Allura shook her head feverishly. “No, no that can't be. Voltron- we found an Altean, she- she said that Lotor was tricking you all. That he lied and said he was moving Alteans to a new colony, when he was really draining the volunteers of their quintessence.”

Pilón didn't react to her words. Not a first. It was as if he experienced a lag in interpreting what Allura had said.

She understood the gasps and indignant cries of shock from the other Altean around them to mean that she was wrong in their eyes - terribly so, just as a strong force barreled into her stomach. The air was knocked out of her lungs and her body was slammed to the ground with fierce, wild hands clamouring for her neck.

Honerva shot up from her seat. “Restrain Pilón, _immediately_!”

The other Alteans quickly worked to peel the frenzied man off of Allura who was still much to shocked to react other than choked out breaths.

He gripped and scratched the skin exposed outside of her armor and howled, “ _Romelle_? You left our Lord to die based off of the word of a _child_?”

Pilón fought against the hold of five guards - two on each arm and one pulling his body back at the waist, ultimately being reduced to heavy panting. Allura erupted into coughs once having her air duct try to rapidly replenish it's supplies. When he was ready, and his breath controlled, he jerked to the side, physically telling the others he was stable again. 

“Pilón,” Honerva chastised, “we promised safe ventures for Princess Allura.”

He intertwined his fingers over each other and thumped it against his chest in what Allura recognized as an different form of the Altean salute.

“My apologies, Your Highness. I- I can't accept the pain we went through being a result of such _great_ magnitudes of incompetence.” He turned his furious gaze back to Allura who had just gotten back to her feet after controlling her coughing fit. “Everyone was told of the Great Sacrifice on the eve of their second puberty. It was law. When the war was reaching its peak, Lotor told us he needed to increase the supply or else Zarkon would send scouts outside of his control to assist with harvesting. We, as a collective, thought that it should be extended to anyone after their first puberty, but only after they agree to the quintessence check. Romelle had refused - thinking it to be a conspiracy against our people. She was a child, and we rolled our eyes at her rambles. Artemil Lotor to tell her the truth himself, but he wished to respect Romelle’s wished of not being told until her second puberty.” Tears sharply stung the corners of his eyes. “You’ve put us all through so much pain because of a person not even fifty decapheobs wise. _Why?_ ”

“I- I- I-” Allura stuttered out nothing more than half syllable answers.

Romelle untold a truth she thought was sincere. Allura had no reason to believe otherwise, especially since she felt things were too good to be true with Lotor.

And they _had_ to be. There's no way the son of the megalomaniac that destroyed her planet and the people on would turn out good after deca-phoebs of vying for his father's throne.

But these Alteans (her people, _her_ people) _loved_ Lotor. Were grateful for his rule. She had taken that from them and they were livid.

They hated her.

Allura turned to Honerva. “This isn’t right. You and Zarkon are the reason why there are so few Alteans to begin with. Why we no longer have a planet to call our own. Why Lotor was considered a god by those that should be horrified with your family.”

Honerva narrowed her lavender eyes, “You still seem to be stuck in shadows of the past by figures that no longer roam this realm. I grieve my husband not being able to break free of the dark hold quintessence poisoning had on him. But I am not the murder you are so bloodthirsty for. Haggar is dead.

I am Honerva. Chosen Queen of the Alteans. What does that make you, Princess Allura?” She withdrew a thin data drive off the table and handed it to Allura. “You need to critically think about that while going over my proposition.”

None of this was supposed to happen, Allura thought. She was supposed to defeat Haggar, find her people, and become the leader she was born to be. 

Instead, face flushed of shame and embarrassment, she left the room void of anything except the sense failure.

“Oh, Princess?” Honerva called out as she approached the threshold of the door. “Do tell the Champion I pray the new body suits him well. And that I hope he enjoys his newest gift. As one of my strongest subjects, I can’t help but have a soft spot for that human.”

Allura's face scrunched in a confused disgust. That extremely creepy comment aside, she gave no response and let the swish of the closing doors comfort her until she found the others.

The moment she turned a corner from Haggar's council chambers, a loud static noise came from the helmet clipped to her side. Allura placed it back on her head and adjusted it's frequency.”

“ _zzrt- ...llura, Lance? Shkt- do you copy? I rrrrr- repeat, do you copy?”_

“Shiro! Shiro, I'm here, it's so good to hear your voice, did you find Keith?”

_“Ah, n-not exactly. I think if we find Lance, we'll find Keith. Let’s group up first, I'm sending you my coordinates.”_

“You're pretty close to me, I'm on my way. What did you mean by not exactly?”

She approached the large room her map indicated Shiro was in.

“ _Well, it wasn't Keith, but I found someone else.”_

“Who?” As far as Allura was aware, the only people they seemed missing were Sam and Matt Holt. Unless there was a Blade Prisoner of War she was unaware of.

Allura walked into the room. In his arms was the cloaked man that tried stopping them earlier. He laid unconscious in Shiro’s arms, but even unconscious his mask was scattered far off in the room and exposed his scarred but clearly human face.

“This is Adam,” Shiro said softly, with fragile emotions so complex it sounded like Shiro was worried even saying his name would cause Adam to disappear before them. He looked up at Allura and her breath hitched at the shine in his eyes and the hopeful smile. “He is, uh- was, my partner. I thought he _died_ , I thought- they said his plane crashed when fighting the initial Galra waves, but he’s here. He’s _here_ and _alive._ What are the chances?” 

_“Do tell the Champion I pray the new body suits him well. And that I hope he enjoys his newest gift.”_

Allura understood his joy, but as Haggar’s words echoed mockingly in the back of her head, she realized precisely how right Acxa was in her warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knows what the show is gonna do with Honerva and how she's become queen (and loses her status???), but I feel like I've always been a part of a small minority of people that thought Lotor made the best decision he thought he could to keep the few Alteans that were still alive safe.
> 
> And I didn't want to besmirch Romelle's character in order to address that, which left this wild turn we have before us.
> 
> (Also the only reason why any of this is happening is because I PROMISED SHIRO A HAPPY ENDING IN CHAPTER TWO)


End file.
